Mt. Hood Community College’s President Dr. Debra Derr announced today her plan to retire following the 2017-18 academic year, effective June 30, 2018. She will officially present her notice to the MHCC Board of Education at this week’s Wednesday, June 14 regular board meeting.
“The decision to leave the college has not been an easy decision for me,” said Derr, “but it is a decision that supports how important my family is to me, and recognizes that it is time to turn my attention fully to them.”
Derr rejoined MHCC as the college’s eighth president in 2013 following a nationwide search – she had served at the college in multiple past roles during her thirty-year community college career, before taking on the president’s role at North Iowa Community College in 2008.
During her tenure at MHCC, she oversaw the college’s 50th anniversary celebration, as well as the college’s successful seven-year accreditation renewal. Dr. Derr’s successes at the college included rebuilding and expanding relationships with the community, educational and business partners and donors, as well as rebuilding trust within the college, and a renewed focus on student success and completion.
“A good president provides the conditions for the successes of the college to happen,” said Derr. “I hope that my legacy will be tied to creating those conditions.”