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Gov. Gregoire appoints Royce Pollard to Clark College Board of Trustees

For Immediate Release: July 29, 2010

OLYMPIA � Gov. Chris Gregoire today announced she has appointed Royce Pollard to serve on the Clark College Board of Trustees. Pollard will complete the term of John White, who resigned from the board in June.

�I have always been impressed with Royce�s commitment to serving his community,� Gregoire said. �His passion for helping people is admirable. His desire to improve the Vancouver area is unmatched. That�s why I�m pleased that Royce will be joining the Clark College Board of Trustees. I know he will continue to serve the community and the students there well.�

�It�s an honor for me to be able to continue to serve the community,� Pollard said. �Clark College is one of the finest community colleges in the nation and I believe I can contribute by doing good work in support of Clark students and the region.�

In 1996, voters elected Pollard as mayor of Vancouver, a position he held until January 2010. During his six terms as mayor, Pollard shaped the development of downtown Vancouver including the revitalization of Esther Short Park and the dedication of the Hilton Vancouver Washington Hotel and Convention Center. He was honored by the Community Foundation of Washington as Clark County�s First Citizen for 2010.

�Royce Pollard has been a long-time advocate for Vancouver and Clark College,� Clark College President Robert K. Knight noted. �He understands the importance of higher education � not only for our students but for the economic vitality of our region.�

Educated at the University of Alabama, Pollard served in the U.S. Army beginning in 1961, including deployment during the Vietnam War. His final post was as Commander of the Vancouver Barracks. After retiring from the Army in 1988, he was appointed to Vancouver City Council one year later before elected as Vancouver�s mayor.

Founded in 1933, Clark College provides two-year transfer degree studies, technical training and basic skills classes for as many as 16,000 full-time and part-time students each quarter. Clark is the second largest college in the Washington state system of 34 community and technical colleges.

Pollards� term expires in 2011, at which time Pollard will be eligible for reappointment.