After 17 years as president of Whatcom Community College, Kathi Hiyane-Brown’s excitement for the institution hasn’t worn off.
“I can still remember very vividly the interview that I had with the trustees at the college when I was interviewing for the job …” Hiyane-Brown said. “I was so taken by their commitment and their excitement. I can say right now, I feel as excited as I was on that very day … about the college and the opportunities that it has.”
Hiyane-Brown began her final school year as president last month, reflecting that with so much to do, it feels like a normal year until someone asks her how she’s feeling about retiring.
Hiyane-Brown is retiring in March 2025 and leaves a strong legacy of growth, mentorship and leadership, according to those who know her and have worked with her. She also broke barriers as the first Asian woman to head a community college in Washington.
“As a professional woman of color, throughout her leadership, she has not only shattered glass ceilings but has also served as a beacon of hope and empowerment for women of color aspiring to leadership roles,” said Teresa Taylor, the college’s Board of Trustees Chair from 2023–24.
During her tenure, Hiyane-Brown oversaw the community college as it grew to offer more certificates, associates and baccalaureate programs, grew its physical campus in the Cordata neighborhood, and achieved national recognition in cybersecurity education.
The community college now hosts the National Cybersecurity Training and Education Center (NCyTE) and the NSA Center of Academic Excellence National Cybersecurity Resource Center. NCyTE has been recognized and supported by the White House and the National Security Agency,
Hiyane-Brown said the recognition is a result of 11 years of hard work, crediting former faculty Corrinne Sande for the efforts. Sande was the director of NCyTE until her retirement in 2023.
Beyond NCyTE, Hiyane-Brown named the development of the college’s Office of Institutional Research and the quick building of the Health Professions Education Center as the biggest accomplishments in her tenure.
The center, which opened in 2013, was constructed in only 18 months through a public-private partnership, allowing the college to avoid the lengthy delays that often come with waiting for state funding.
“It showed a commitment of our private businesses to assist us and we were able to expand our nursing program to help respond to the nursing shortage,” she said. “And we have this state-of-the-art facility that can be used by both nursing and other allied health programs. That was a great accomplishment.”
COVID-19 challenges remain
Enrollment hasn’t fully recovered yet, Hiyane-Brown said. As of fall 2024, enrollment is up 6% in full-time equivalents, compared to fall 2023. A student housing building that opened during COVID-19 is still not full, but this fall, opened up to Bellingham Technical College, Northwest Indian College and Western Washington University students, according to Director of Communications and Marketing Marni Saling Mayer.
She said she understands why people are opting to work instead of returning to school. With the high cost of living in Bellingham and increased minimum wage, and a lack of child care in the county and at the college, they’ve seen the number of part-time students increase.
Efforts to increase enrollment are ongoing. Part of that strategy is increasing outreach to Latino prospective students, Vice President for Student Services James Siegel told CDN last fall. The college has also started an initiative with the Ferndale School District to go into the high school and talk to juniors and seniors about applying to college.
A legacy of mentorship
Those who know Hiyane-Brown praised her eagerness to mentor the next generation of leaders and stay connected statewide and nationally to other colleges.
She’s a founding member and executive committee member of the National Asian Pacific Islander Council of the American Association of Community Colleges, as well as several other national community college and cybersecurity organizations.
Naomi Story, the executive director of the council, said Hiyane-Brown deeply believes in community colleges and is always looking toward the future.
“She’ll ask really intriguing questions about who we should be and what we should be and why we aren’t what we should be …” Story said. “Just having her ask those questions really invigorates all of us.”
“She’s constantly looking for ways to help support the next generation of educational leaders so that there’s a continual pipeline for presidents, administrators that will support education and ultimately support our students,” Kloke said.
Kloke said she’s lost track of how many people Hiyane-Brown is mentoring currently. Taylor considers herself one of them.
“Kathi has also instilled within me a sense of pride and confidence, reaffirming my belief in the limitless potential of women of color in leadership positions,” Taylor said.
Hiyane-Brown said she felt that it was important for her to be a role model, for students and for other leaders.
“I really try to take advantage of mentoring young people, or people who are not so young, about their career and about their lives, simply based on my own experiences as a woman of color,” she said.
Hiyane-Brown said she
“I hope that I can have an opportunity to say that to the new president: be excited because there’s so many opportunities here and this is such a great college to be at,” Hiyane-Brown said.
Finalists for Hiyane-Brown’s position will be interviewed in January. The Board of Trustees will select a new president in February or March 2025.
Charlotte Alden is CDN’s general assignment/enterprise reporter; reach her at charlottealden@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 123.