VP position filled by Doughty

Debbie Derr, MHCC president, has selected Richard Doughty as new vice president of administrative services, beginning July 21.

Two public forums were held for Doughty on May 21, during which Derr said she received positive feedback on him.

She said that comment forms collected revealed that forum attendees were “impressed with his background and approach to challenges, his openness and willingness to share — he was genuine.”

Derr said filling this position would add  “Consistency, reliability, quality” at Mt. Hood. “Why I say that is for so long, people have been wearing so many hats.” The VP position has not been filled with a full-time position since 2011.

She said she selected Doughty because he is “someone in who has real expertise in the areas of finance, information technology, facilities, and (to) just solidify what we’re going to be able to do to move forward.

“He brings to us, as well as the business piece, (an) administrative piece… an understanding of the importance of communication, transparency, engaging people in process,” she said.

At the forum, Doughty was questioned on his lack of bond experience. (Mt. Hood has set a goal of winning a public vote, in May 2016, on a general obligation bond to pay for major campus improvements.) But Derr does not see this as an obstacle.

“The reality is that we will be working with a team of people” on the bond, she said. “His role in that will be to be able to bring us an infrastucture, a foundation or what we’re going to need to do to be able to build the cases to go out into the community” and win support, she said.

Derr noted that both she and Al Sigala, director of MHCC Foundation, have bond experience.  “I’m not as concerned about that (Doughty’s bond history) because of the depth and breadth of the other experience he will bring to us.

“I’m feeling very, very positive about the people that are around the President’s Council table,” she said.

Bill Becker, financial adviser to the president who has pinch-hit in Doughty’s position since January, will remain at MHCC through July before stepping down.