College Leadership

Board of Trustees

The Board of Trustees is a five-member board appointed by the Governor of the State of Washington and confirmed by the Washington State Senate. The role of the Board is to provide leadership through policy governance of the College, and though selection, supervision, and evaluation of the College President.

President

Dr. Jack Kahn

Dr. Jack Kahn

President

Dr. Jack Kahn joined Shoreline Community College on July 1, 2022.

With over 25 years of experience in higher education, including more than a decade in leadership roles, Dr. Kahn often shares his career goal of “bringing diverse people together to create systems that are integrated with the broader community to serve students, particularly with a lens toward equity.”

Before arriving at Shoreline Community College, Dr. Kahn’s most recent leadership roles were at Palomar College in San Marcos, California. Here he served as an interim superintendent president, the assistant superintendent/vice president for instruction and the dean of the division of social and behavioral sciences. Prior to his work in academic leadership, Dr. Kahn was an active faculty member and published researcher and author of works addressing issues of psychological testing, masculinity, and social justice.

The first person in his family to pursue a four-year college degree, Dr. Kahn earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in philosophy from Arizona State University. He went on to earn a Master of Arts in marriage and family counseling from San José State University before attending the State University of New York at Buffalo to earn a doctorate in counseling psychology.

In his spare time, Dr. Kahn enjoys seeing live music and theater, traveling, exploring new neighborhoods, trying new restaurants, hiking, reading, gardening, cooking, and spending time with his wife Jackie, two dogs, and cat.

Executive Team

The Executive Team is comprised of executive leaders who represent each area of the College and work directly with the president to provide strategic direction and input.

Ernest Johnson

Dr. Ernest Johnson

Acting Vice President of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Dr. Ernest Johnson (Dr. J) is an associate professor emeritus, having taught Multi-Cultural Studies for 25 years here at Shoreline Community College, while being adjunct faculty in the American Ethnic Studies department at the University of Washington.  

He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Washington Department of Linguistics and M.A. from the University of Khartoum (Institute of African and Asian Studies). He has taught and lectured at over a dozen community colleges or universities over the past 40 years in various subjects ranging from equity hiring, ethnic studies, ESL, multicultural studies, Black studies, African culture, sociolinguistics, religious fundamentalism, and African American history. He managed a school within a school program for differently abled students for Seattle Public Schools and is a founding partner of a consulting business focusing on equity and diversity. He is a co-developer of the Multicultural Studies Interview Rubric (MCIR), which has been used throughout the community college system with an emphasis on increasing the ability of hiring committees to hire employees who are both equity-minded and culturally competent. 

 

Derek Levy

Derek Levy

Acting Vice President of Student Services

Derek Levy has served as Acting Vice President of Student Services since July 2023. His other role is Dean of Student Support & Success, which he has held since 2018. He has over 30 years in higher education experience, including significant time in Residential Life, and providing leadership for virtually all areas of student services.  

Prior to Shoreline, Derek was the Dean of Student Success at the College of Marin, where he provided institutional leadership in the development and implementation of both the Student Success & Support Programs and Student Equity plans. Derek also worked in various roles at the University of Washington Seattle and Tacoma campuses. Derek earned his Master of Arts in College Student Personnel at Bowling Green State University and Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at the University of California at Santa Cruz.  

He and his wife, Laurie, live in West Seattle. They have three red headed sons, two dogs, and four chickens. An avid baseball fan, spring 2024 will start his sixteenth season as a volunteer Little League umpire. 

Joe Mazur

Joe Mazur

Vice President of Business and Administrative Services

Joe Mazur III serves Shoreline Community College as the Vice President of Business and Administrative Services since September 2023. He has over 25 years of higher education experience, and before joining Shoreline, served more than ten years as the Chief Business Officer at two Florida College System institutions.   

Joe earned an Associate of Arts degree from Palm Beach State College, two bachelor's degrees in accounting and finance from Florida State University, and a master’s degree in computer information systems from Florida Gulf Coast University.  He holds an active Certified Public Accountant license in Florida and is a graduate of the Southern Association of College and University Business Officers' (SACUBO) College Business Management Institute. He has volunteered with the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) and serves as the Vice Chair of the WACTC Business Affairs Commission's Operating Budget Committee.  

During his free time, he enjoys fishing, hiking, and traveling with his family.

Lucas Rucks

Dr. Lucas Rucks

Acting Vice President of Instruction

Dr. Lucas Rucks arrived in Shoreline in August 2021 and has already filled Executive Dean (Business, Communication Studies, and Social Sciences), Associate Vice-President, and Vice President for Instruction roles at the college. Lucas brings 20+ years of higher education with him to campus, with extensive experience in instructional administration as well as in the classroom, most recently teaching in areas of leadership development and organizational culture. With leadership roles in California and Washington, both for a public university and community college in our system, Lucas enjoys supporting the work of faculty as well as Shoreline’s goals aligning with sharing and promoting data to support intervention strategies to support ALL students, emerging baccalaureate degree pathways, dual enrollment and K-12 articulation, transfer agreements between community college and universities, and professional development for all employees as we work to foster student success!   

Dr. Rucks loves the community college mission and the work that goes into supporting faculty. He has served as a Peer Reviewer for the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) and participates within the Washington State Board for Community and Technical College’s (SBCTC) Instruction Commission (IC).  

Lucas completed his doctoral studies in Higher Education Leadership with Azusa Pacific University and his MS in Administration and BA in Liberal Studies (US Govt & American History) with California State University, Bakersfield. Outside the routine duties, Lucas volunteers as the official statistician for Shoreline’s college basketball teams, is always seeking to catch a larger bass, and is continually on a quest for his first hole-in-one on the golf course. Dr. Rucks will be in place as Acting Vice President of instruction from June 2023-April 2024, or until a permanent VP candidate is identified. 

Ann Garnsey-Harter

Dr. Ann Garnsey-Harter

Associate Vice President - Planning, Institutional Effectiveness, and Project Management

Dr. Ann Garnsey-Harter leads institutional planning and effectiveness efforts and serves as Accreditation Liaison Officer with the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU).  She provides strategic leadership for institutional research, institutional assessment, grants, and the integrated data management system (PeopleSoft); she serves as the ctcLink/PeopleSoft project manager.  

She has been a higher education administrator for 25 years. Her professional experience is grounded in her experience teaching college English part-time and her passion for students: “I came to administrative work as a faculty member; my commitment to students and their learning fuels all of my work.” 

She holds a Master of Arts and a Doctor of Philosophy in English from Washington State University.  

Personally, she loves the outdoors and can be found hiking, backpacking, camping, and kayaking with her husband, two boys, and dog.

Samira Pardanani

Samira Pardanani

Associate Vice President - International Education & Global Engagement

Samira Pardanani is the Associate Vice President of International Education and Global Engagement, charged with providing leadership to programs integral to the student experience at the College.

In her previous role as Executive Director of Shoreline’s dynamic International Education department, she led a high-functioning and innovative team whose work placed the College among the country’s top 20 community colleges hosting international students. The College has been featured in multiple national publications for best practices in enrollment management, student services, and campus internationalization. As a leader in the field, Samira has served as a frequent presenter and as an advocate for community colleges. 

Samira is excited to dive into the work of serving all Shoreline students, working with campus stakeholders to pursue opportunities to enhance the student experience, with a special focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion, and reducing opportunity gaps. She is skilled at identifying individual strengths of staff and facilitating increased ownership and engagement in their work.

Samira holds master’s degrees in German and TESOL, and has been educated in India, Germany, Austria, and the U.S. She speaks multiple languages and wholeheartedly embraces the value that diverse life experiences bring to the table. She spends her free time with her family and friends, enjoying good food and laughter, and also loves to dabble in different hobbies.

Cat Chiappa

Cat Chiappa

Executive Director of Strategic Communications and Marketing

Cat Chiappa is an accomplished professional with a rich background in the arts and education, and a passion for creative storytelling. 

Originally from the East Coast, Cat brings experience in both formal and informal educational settings. Prior to earning a Master of Arts in teaching at George Washington University, she began her career in enrollment management. She later served as adjunct faculty working with new students at the University of Maryland University College. From there, she spent over a decade at the Monterey Bay Aquarium developing a wide range of programming to educate the public about the ocean and communicate consistent conservation messaging. Her work there as Manager of Public Programs helped drive attendance and engagement. 

Relocating to the Seattle area in 2019, Cat founded Cat Chiappa Creative, where she collaborated with esteemed clients such as the Seattle Aquarium, the Seattle Children’s Museum, Launch Learning, and Aligned Yoga. Her unique approach intertwines stunning visuals and compelling narratives in lifestyle and documentary photography, filmmaking, and brand strategy, helping organizations and individuals unearth and share their untold stories. She is excited to “share those skills here at Shoreline, working with faculty, staff, and students to share the rich diversity of stories Shoreline has to offer.” 

Outside of work, Chiappa enjoys adventure days with her family, traveling to far-off places, singing and performing onstage, crafting and creating art, voraciously reading a wide range of books and taking pictures. She currently lives in Shoreline with her husband, two young kids, and a rambunctious dog. 

 

Wendy J. Coates

Wendy J. Coates

Executive Director of Advancement and Foundation

Wendy Coates is a highly skilled and devoted nonprofit executive with a proven history of cultivating philanthropic and community support for nonprofit organizations. With a deep commitment to her community, Wendy has served on multiple nonprofit boards and was an appointed council person on the Kitsap County Council for Human Rights. Dedicated to the transformative power of philanthropy, Wendy believes that every individual who cares has the power to change the world for the better. 

Taking on her role at Shoreline in the Summer of 2023, Wendy is grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the SCC mission dedicated to equity and student success. Before coming to Shoreline, Wendy worked in healthcare philanthropy where she was instrumental in planning, funding, and launching programs that enhanced quality of life at the end of life. Under Wendy’s leadership, the organizations she led saw unprecedented growth in giving and donor retention, improved engagement and satisfaction of board members, and the creation and implementation of fiscal policies and procedures that ensured integrity and transparency. 

Originally from Massachusetts, Wendy attended Boston University, where she met her husband Stephen, and holds an MA in English from the University of Alaska, Anchorage. She recently achieved her PADI SCUBA certification and dreams of swimming with a whale shark someday 

Veronica Zura

Veronica Zura

Executive Director of Human Resources

Veronica Zura has served the College in the Office of Human Resources since August 2004 with direct experience in each of the individual positions staffed in HR. Ms. Zura holds a Bachelors’ degree in Psychology from Western Washington University, with a minor in Internet Resource & Creation. Ms. Zura obtained her Professional in Human Resources certification in February 2011, the ATIXA Title IX Level 1 Certification in June of 2016, and the OSU Search Advocate certification in November 2018.

Ms. Zura provides executive leadership to campus in the areas of employee relations, compensation, benefits, recruitment/selection, and collective bargaining/labor relations. During her free time, Ms. Zura enjoys movies, puzzling, and cribbage.