Biography

A teacher and administrator for over 25 years, Dr. Pamela Transue has been President of Tacoma Community College since 1997. During her tenure, the College has grown to over 19,000 students annually, with about 9,000 attending at any given time. Numerous improvements have been made in student support services, and several new degree programs have been developed in response to community needs. Excellent faculty and administrative hires have contributed to the strong reputation for excellence that TCC enjoys. Many new and renovated buildings now grace the main campus, replacing the deteriorating original buildings and creating a more student-friendly environment. A successful Capital and Endowment Campaign has contributed to the support services so important to student success.

Before coming to TCC, Dr. Transue served as Executive Dean of the Rock Creek and Open Campuses of Portland Community College for eight years. Earlier positions include seven years as Special Assistant to the President at the University of Washington and an administrative role with Continuing Education at the Ohio State University.

Dr. Transue is the author of Virginia Woolf and the Politics of Style and is co-editor of Universities in Transition: 1300-1700. Her list of presentations is extensive. She is on the board of the American Council on Education (ACE) serving as Board Secretary in 2006. She spent five years on the board of the American Association of Community Colleges, serving as Board Chair in 2001-02. She is past president of COMBASE, a national organization devoted to community-based education. At the local level, Dr. Transue serves on the board of United Way as a member of the Executive Committee, and was the 2002 Campaign Chair for Tacoma/Pierce County. She serves on the boards of the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce, the Fuchs Foundation, and the Richard Bangs Collier Pleneurethics Society. She also serves on the Economic Development Board for Tacoma/Pierce County, the Regence BlueShield Tacoma Advisory Board, and is a past member of the Rotary 8 and Greater Tacoma Community Foundation Boards.

Dr. Transue was selected as CEO of the Year for the Pacific Region of the United States by the Association of Community College Trustees in 2002. She received the Regional Leadership Award from the National Council on Continuing Education and Training (NCCET) in 1996 and received the National Leadership Award from the same organization in 2000. In 2001, Dr. Transue was invited to the White House to participate in a summit on early childhood development convened by First Lady Laura Bush. She is a founding member of the National Association of Presidential Assistants in Higher Education. She was given a Woman of Distinction Award from the Pacific Peaks Girl Scout Council in 2001, and she was chosen for the Women of Influence Award sponsored by the Business Examiner newspaper in 2005.

Dr. Transue received her Bachelor’s degree Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude, in English from the University of Washington and her Master’s and Ph.D. in English from the Ohio State University, where she received a Distinguished Teaching Award, a Presidential Fellowship, and an Alumni Graduate Research Award. She completed Harvard University’s Institute for Educational Management in 1993.