Valley College Adds 7 Board Members

Valley College recently added seven members to the board of directors of its patrons association in an effort to diversify the panel.

School officials hope the new members will use their diverse professional backgrounds and experiences to improve the school.

“Diversity is definitely a key in selecting board members,” said Dennis Reed, dean of the association.

“This group will guide the school in the right direction.”

The seven new members join 13 others on the board of directors, which essentially serves as the college’s foundation. Board members are responsible for fund-raising, establishing the future direction of the college and participation in school events, Reed said.

Along with the vastly different professional backgrounds from business and law to entertainment and accounting, three of the new members--Elizabeth Shaw, Mannon Kaplan and Doug Claybourne--are not alumni.

Reed said because Valley College is community-oriented, it attracts interest from many residents and business owners, which helps the school. “We’re a community college with the emphasis on community. These [non-alumni] members have all worked closely with the school on different projects and have all expressed interest in making Valley College a better place.”

Among the other new members is Alec Bloom, who was valedictorian of the class of 1995 at the age of 84. He graduated from Valley just three years after earning his high school diploma.

“He’s one of the most determined people I’ve ever met,” Reed said.

“We want people like him on our board.”