Board of directors to gain a new member
Longest serving member retiring after elections

By Isaac Graham · The Mainstream
Published April 26, 2011

UCC will have a new board member from zone 2 after the closing of the May 17 election. This member will replace Tom Keel who is retiring after 36 years of service. Keel served the longest term on a community college board in state history.

The three candidates running for the zone 2 position are Doris Johnson, Elin Miller and Mike Keizer.

Ballots will be distributed by mail on April 29, and voters will need to mail ballots back in by May 17. All voters must be registered in zone 2.

With a budget exceeding $25 million, Umpqua Community College relies on board members for guidance.

Mike Keizer

Mike Keizer, the first candidate of the three candidates in alphabetical order, was unavailable for an interview.

Doris Johnson

Doris Johnson has worked in association with UCC for over 20 years. Although she is now retired, she has previously served at UCC as director of the Woolley Center, director of developmental education, director of grants and grant management and executive director of institutional advancement.

Johnson is very active in the community and is involved in numerous organizations including Altrusa and Rotary International. She is also a founding member of several organizations including Project Literacy, Johnson has served on many boards including four years of service at United Way. She also received a National English Award for starting UCC’s Bridge to Success program.

Johnson aims to follow through on the college’s current strategy plan and meet its goals. She believes in focusing on teamwork to both create and modify policies and is excited about UCC’s recent presidential decision.

Johnson’s knowledge about UCC extends to experience in lobbying for funds both in Washington, D.C. and in Salem, Oregon. “I want to give back to the college now because the college gave so much to me for 20 years,” says Johnson. She wants the college to continue to be a part of her life as she moves forward into her retirement years.

Elin Miller

Elin Miller resides in Umpqua where she and her husband own a hazelnut orchard. After living in different parts of the country for some time, they returned to Douglas County a few years ago. Miller understands the importance of agriculture, and she has been active in Future Farmers of America (FFA) nearly her entire life. Today she serves as the vice-president of FFA’s Individual Giving Board.

Miller has also been active in several business roles including CEO of a small company. She enjoys dealing with challenges related to budget and policies. She also served on the president’s cabinet at California Polytechnic State University, and although she understands that the university is different than the community college, she believes this experience improved her knowledge of strategy.

Miller sees three points of interest as most important at UCC. First, she believes something needs to be done to better accommodate the growing number of students who are overflowing the UCC campus. Next, she believes in the building of relationships and fostering a spirit of family and trust. Finally, she is an advocate of finding a strategic balance between the accommodation of students who are pursuing a transfer degree and those who are seeking technical career training.

“UCC is all we have in Douglas County, and we need to make sure that we are serving all constituencies that are present,” says Miller. She feels that UCC can be instrumental in creating opportunities for business to create more jobs.

Anyone not registered to vote can do so at the courthouse. Identification in the form of a driver’s license or four digits of a social security number will be required.