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Meet ˿����Ƶ’s new Acting President – Dr. Katy Ho

Photos and story by James Hill

The ˿����Ƶ’s new Acting President Dr. Katy Ho is the right person at the right time to lead the college through one of its most important stretches in its history.

Following the May 14 separation between the PCC Board and Dr. Adrien Bennings as the college’s president, the Board named Dr. Ho as acting president. She has served as Executive Vice President where she oversaw the college’s Operations, Strategic Planning & Policy, Information Technology, Brand Management, and People Strategy divisions – areas she’ll continue to lead as president.

“I am humbled and honored by this opportunity,” Dr. Ho said. “PCC is navigating significant challenges. While it has been a difficult time and there is plenty of work ahead, this time of transition also offers new opportunities for us to unite in our deep commitment to this college.”

Watch Dr. Ho’s .

Board Chair Tiffani Penson said Dr. Ho’s experience, leadership style and longstanding commitment to the college make her well suited to guide PCC through its next chapter.

“Without question, no one is more qualified than she is, given her educational acumen, professional experience, and 18 years of dedication to PCC, to provide the kind of collaborative, strategic, student-centered leadership our college needs,” Penson said. “She is guided by the values core to our mission and has a proven track record of fostering inclusion to advance holistic institutional visions that benefit the students and communities we serve.”

Dr. Ho has been part of the PCC community for more than two decades. She began her career at the college in 2002 as an academic advisor and went on to hold a variety of leadership roles in student and academic affairs. Her career has been shaped by a commitment to student success, institutional collaboration and educational excellence.

In 2013, Dr. Ho returned to her hometown of Honolulu to serve as vice chancellor of academic affairs at Honolulu Community College. She later returned to PCC in 2017 as vice president for academic affairs and currently serves as the college’s executive vice president. That same year, she was selected as one of 39 community college leaders nationwide for the Aspen Presidential Fellowship, a prestigious leadership program focused on advancing transformative leadership in higher education.

“I have been at PCC for a long time,” Dr. Ho said. “I have experienced iterations of leadership and felt all that comes with it. PCC has always been bigger than any one of us because it is shaped by all of us who show up here every day. I believe in our ability to move forward together now because we have done it before. We will have conflict — but we will also have opportunities to find common ground and to work together to serve our students.”

As Acting President, Dr. Ho said she is focused on listening closely, maintaining forward movement on the college’s priorities, and ensuring PCC leads with integrity and collaboration. A longtime PCC employee, she said she is looking forward to working alongside the community she has been part of for many years.

“My first priority is to help create the conditions for thoughtful and collaborative work across the college,” Dr. Ho said. “I am tasking the college’s leadership teams with creating more opportunities for us to connect with one another and with the college we love. I remain confident that we are still more united than divided, and that we can move into the future together.”

Dr. Ho’s leadership extends beyond PCC. She recently served on the Board of Trustees for Portland State University and on the Leadership Council for Partners in Diversity, and continues to volunteer for , which is a nonprofit dedicated to fostering a culture of hope, connection and community for women in correctional facilities through training and running. 

She holds a Doctor of Education in Community College Leadership and a Master of Student Services Administration from Oregon State University, as well as a degree from the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication with an emphasis in public relations.

Her background in student services, academic affairs, operations and strategic leadership gives her a broad understanding of PCC’s mission and the communities it serves. As the college moves through this transition, Dr. Ho said she will prioritize collaboration, transparency and connection across PCC’s campuses and centers.

“PCC has always been shaped by the people who show up every day for our students and our communities,” Dr. Ho said. “That is where our strength comes from, and that is how we will move forward together.”

To learn more, visit the Office of the President’s webpage.