Local woman will help lead changes at Clark

In anticipation of upcoming statewide changes to the community and technical college system, Clark College recently hired Camas resident Jane Beatty to help guide the college through the new transition.

Beatty has been hired to oversee changes occurring across campus, including the college’s adaptation of ctcLink, a new, standardized system of online functions that will replace the current 30-year-old computer system used by Washington state’s 34 community and technical colleges. It is a single, centralized system of online functions that will give students, faculty and staff 24/7 access to information.

In this position, which is expected to run for about five years, she will identify organizational changes required to make ctcLink successful at the college, represent Clark in statewide discussions and ensure that it adheres to its schedule for ctcLink implementation.

She will also work closely with stakeholders from all departments affected, such as instruction, enrollment, financial aid, information technology, business services and human resources, a press release from Clark College states.

“This campus has a rich history and an energy that speaks of excitement, growth, and future possibilities for students, faculty, and staff,” Beatty said. “In learning more about the director of change management position, I realized I could help the college understand, prepare for, and embrace the changes that are ahead of us. In order to fully reach our potential, change must take place. Working together, we can take Clark College toward that vision. I’m really pleased to be a part of that effort and a part of Clark College.”

Robert Knight, Clark president, added that Beatty will be a good addition to the executive leadership team.

“As our new director of change management, Jane Beatty’s deep industry experience and understanding of systems implementation will really benefit Clark College,” he said.

Beatty, 56, was most recently the president of Custom Interface, Inc., a producer of electromechanical devices. Before that, she worked for Intel Corporation in human resources, where job duties included supporting a worldwide software implementation that helped to drive training, and change management and business alignment to the new system.

Beatty began her career as a high school teacher after earning a bachelor’s degree from Emory University in 1978 and a master’s in education from Georgia State University in 1982.

She recently relocated to Camas from the Columbia Gorge, where she served as president of the Gorge Technology Alliance, a non-profit that supports science, technology, engineering and math education.

She was also a member of the Hood River City Council.

Beatty decided to move to Camas because she owns a horse and wanted to be close to stables.

“Additionally, I loved the ‘old town’ streets in Camas and found the store owners, restaurateurs and others in town to be incredibly helpful and friendly,” she said.

“Camas is a great place to live. I can walk into town, which I try to do daily, pick up anything I need and walk back up the hill. It’s great exercise.”