Dr. Meg Ryan was one of ten Centers of Excellence directors in Washington state to earn the Idahlynn Karre Exemplary Leadership award. Ryan heads up the Center of Excellence for Global Trade and Supply Chain Management, which is housed at Highline College. Presented at the Chair Academy’s April International Leadership conference, the award is given to postsecondary education leaders or leadership teams that have enhanced educational opportunities on their campuses.
The Centers of Excellence, which are part of Washington’s community and technical college system, are flagship institutions that build and sustain the state’s competitive advantage through statewide leadership. Each center focuses on a targeted industry that drives the state’s economy and is built on a reputation for fast, flexible, high quality education and training programs.
The Center of Excellence for Global Trade and Supply Chain Management is a perfect fit for Highline’s campus, given its location at the heart of international business and trade. The main campus is just south of SeaTac International Airport and between the sea ports of Seattle and Tacoma. This center—along with the college’s new four-year degree in Global Trade and Logistics—demonstrates Highline’s ongoing commitment to meet ever-changing educational and economic development needs in advancing Washington’s global competitiveness.
“Since their inception, Centers of Excellence have been at the forefront of Washington state’s community and technical college system strategy to better supply our business and industry partners with highly skilled, workforce-ready graduates,” said Nancy Dick, director of Workforce Education at the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. “The model began with a regional or local ‘cluster’ focus and has evolved into a world-class ‘sector’ approach that is a nationally recognized best practice.”
The 10 centers designated to serve the state system are
- Aerospace and Advanced Manufacturing at Everett Community College
- Agriculture at Walla Walla Community College
- Allied Health at Yakima Valley Community College
- Clean Energy at Centralia College
- Construction at Renton Technical College
- Education at Green River College
- Global Trade and Supply Chain Management at Highline College
- Homeland Security and Emergency Management at Pierce College
- Information and Computing Technology at Bellevue College
- Marine Manufacturing and Technology at Skagit Valley College
Idahlynn Karre is one of the founders of the Chair Academy, a department of Mesa Community College and the Maricopa County Community College District. The conference addresses the administrative and academic needs of post-secondary leaders to develop the skills required for effective leadership. The Chair Academy has offered world-class, competency-based leadership development programs since 1992.
For more information, contact Dr. Meg Ryan at (253) 222-4575 or mryan@highline.edu.