Melinda Bullen leaves MHCC to train water bureau employees

After four years, Melinda Bullen, the first and only coordinator of MHCC’s Diversity Resource Center, has decided to leave her position at the college and move on to the City of Portland’s Water Bureau.

Bullen gave her notice in early December, and will be working as a training and development officer. Her responsibility will be “training and education of the whole of employees at the Water Bureau with a specific focus on equity as it pertains to diversity and inclusion,” she said.

Jan. 13 was her final day with MHCC. A farewell celebration scheduled that day was postponed to Thursday, when Mt. Hood co-workers and students gave her a proper sendoff.

Bullen was hired shortly after the DRC was founded in 2013, created after strong support from Mt. Hood student government leaders. She accepted the job and moved to Portland directly from a work assignment in Chile, in South America.

“I came here just for this job and, as you can imagine, this work and the Diversity Resource Center are very personal to me because I made a huge life change to come and build it,” Bullen said.

Before she accepted the DRC position, the room at the rear of the Student Union sat empty. “It was like, ‘Okay, make this, buy the furniture, and decorate it, and create programing that students are interested in, and figure out how to market it, and set up all of the social media pages,’ ” she said about getting started.

It was the first time she ever had that type of DIY job, she said. “It’s allowed me to see what I’m capable of when you’re starting from scratch.”

Meantime, Bullen had no personal social connections when she first moved to Portland.

“This was not my community, it was totally new to me. That made it incumbent on me to right away go out and start engaging people across campus,” she said. “That’s something I think I’ve done well outside of the (DRC).”

Creating relationships is one of the most important things Bullen takes away from her job at Mt. Hood.

“One of the things I’ve learned and continue to learn here is, ‘never underestimate the power of relationships.’ One of the things I will absolutely take away from this place are some of the relationships that I’ve built here,” she said.

Before coming to Mt. Hood, Bullen had worked in higher education for 15 years. Even though she worked with four-year institutions before, and helped to support marginalized groups, it was here that she first worked on a campus that was available to all community members, she said.

“This was the first time that I was really working with students that were truly home-insecure, food-insecure… really high-achieving students, and students that really are challenged academically.

“So (when) we talk about the full spectrum of the student experience, I’ve had that here in a way that I’ve not had in other places,” she said.

Bullen’s advice to whoever succeeds her at the DRC is clear.

Coordinators should remember that “the face and voice of students must be your first thought because the Diversity Resource Center is here because of students and it’s needed by students and it’s charged with helping develop students,” she said.

Bullen also said that it’s important for the next coordinator to be as engaged with the community beyond Mt. Hood as well. “We’ve been able to create connections with community groups and other resources that ultimately benefit the campus and our students,” she said. “If we become too insular and become too focused on campus and forget about all these other partners in the community, we’re cutting ourselves off from such great opportunity.”

Besides bringing many intercultural events to the MHCC campus, Bullen takes pride in making the DRC a welcoming, safe place for students – such as a small group of Muslim students who gather to pray daily.

While much of its colorful artwork belongs to Bullen and will leave with her, she said the Center will remain open, perhaps with limited hours, until another leader is found.

Meantime, she’s confident the DRC will remain inviting to students. “This is a designated space that says ‘This is for you,’ and how great is that – for all of us?” she said.