Dr. Camille (Cam) Preus is the recently retired executive director of the Oregon Community College Association. The association provides the voice for Oregon’s 17 community colleges by advocating and coordinating state policy, budget and capital funding. Dr. Preus was president of Blue Mountain Community College (BMCC) from 2013 to 2018. BMCC served over 18,000 miles of eastern Oregon and over 8,000 rural students and was recognized as a preferred provider of workforce training for businesses across the region.
Dr. Preus serves on numerous boards that champion and advocate for increasing opportunity for postsecondary education, including Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, Eastern Oregon Women’s Coalition, and the Oregon Humanities Board.
Dr. Preus has held leadership roles in Oregon in community colleges and workforce development at both state and local levels. She also has private sector experience as a chemist and trainer at United States Steel.
Education
Ed.D. (Community College Leadership) | Oregon State University
M.S.B.A. | Indiana University
B.S. | Middle Tennessee State University
A.A.S. | Cumberland Junior College (TN)
Past Experience
Executive Director | Oregon Community College Association
President | Blue Mountain Community College
Director | Oregon Department Community Colleges and Workforce Development
Governor’s Workforce Policy Coordinator & Workforce Quality Council Administrator
How has education changed your life/your family?
I recognize how fortunate I am to come from a family of educators who instilled a curiosity for knowledge and the value of giving that learning back to one’s community. Although I have never been a “teacher,” my experience as an administrator of workforce and community college programs has given me the opportunity to learn to listen hard, be an approachable communicator, understand issues and seek common goals, develop essential relationships, and build coalitions for success. These attributes are the culmination of my education and what I can give back.