Every Spring Woodland Community College holds Founders Day to honor local individuals and community organizations that have played an important role in the life of WCC. The following individuals have been honored as recipients of the WCC Founders Day Award.
Woodland Community College Past Founders Day Honorees
Nordstrom Johnson
2013 Honoree
A Yuba Junior College alumnus and UC Berkeley graduate who spent four years in the Navy as an electronics technician, Mr. Johnson was key in bringing Esparto into the district. Beginning in 1976, he spent 18 years on the YCCD Board of Trustees and the Yolo County School Board Association, earning several service awards. Mr. Johnson worked for Cummins Diesel and Aerojet Corp.
Alan Flory
2013 Honoree
Raised in Napa, Mr. Flory moved to Woodland in 1965 after graduating from Sacramento State with a business degree. He worked for the State Board of Equalization, was Yolo County Assessor, and represented the Woodland area on the Yuba College Board of Trustees for 12 years during which time the science and library buildings were completed. He also taught real estate courses at the first Woodland Campus on California Street.
Dorothy Minges
2013 Honoree
As a local educator, Minges became an early and long-term member of the Yuba College Foundation Board representing her native Woodland and was instrumental in the development of the Foundation’s scholarship program. A University of the Pacific graduate, Minges taught elementary classes for 36 years before retiring and becoming a local real estate agent.
Ray Gutierrez
2013 Honoree
With more than 50 years in the educational profession, Ray Gutierrez was part of the first Woodland Campus staff. After graduating from Chico State as a physical education major with a minor in health education, Gutierrez returned to his native Woodland where he taught P.E., was a counselor and assistant principal. In 1976, he was hired by WCC; and just a couple months later, Mr. Gutierrez became dean. He retired from WCC in 1993.
Marcela Bautista
2013 Honoree
An Esparto High School graduate and Foundation scholarship recipient, Bautista earned an associate’s degree from WCC and a degree in business at Sacramento State. She currently works as the Operations Supervisor at Premier West Bank in Woodland, is a Chamber Ambassador, teaches financial classes at the Yolo Wayfarer Center and Woodland High School, and volunteers for Epicurean Esprit. Bautista is a former member of the WCC Foundation Board.
Donna McGill-Cameron
2013 Honoree
One of the original faculty members, McGill-Cameron continues to teach at WCC. Born and raised in Humboldt County, McGill-Cameron graduated from Sacramento State with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business and economics, and later earned a second master’s degree from Mississippi State University in physical education, and a doctorate in educational management from the University of Luverne. She teaches economics, business computers, health and physical education.
Eyvind Faye
2014 Honoree
One of the first local representatives on the Yuba Community College Board of Trustees in 1976, Faye was a well-known, community-minded local farmer. After serving four years in the Army at Pearl Harbor, Faye returned to his family’s corporation near Knights Landing and continued his family’s legacy of an enormous prune, walnut and field crop farming company. He was a long time director of Sunsweet Growers, Inc., and served as Chairman of the Board from 1959-1976. The father of three was also extremely involved in local youth-related venues, and Faye served as a trustee on the boards of education for Grafton Elementary, Woodland schools.
Darlene Gray
2014 Honoree
Books have a special place in her life — and at Woodland Community College, thanks to Gray’s 29-year tenure at the Woodland campus. In 1982, the Yuba Community College District hired Gray as a library technical assistant, back when the local campus bookstore, library and media center were all housed in a single portable building on California Street. During her tenure, Gray created a vast library system that is still in use at WCC. After retiring, Gray added another chapter to her career by assisting in the redesign the Clear Lake campus library, and she later helped open a new campus in Williams
Edith Klenhard
2014 Honoree
The first professor of nursing for the Woodland campus, Klenhard played a key role in the creation and growth of a licensed vocational nursing program for local students. Klenhard graduated from the University of Minnesota, spent six months in Colorado during World War II and then moved to Hawaii where she worked as an emergency room nurse and began teaching. She met and married a California native, and in 1948 moved to Stockton, then later to Yolo County. Klenhard worked for Woodland Memorial Hospital, while raising a family and teaching nursing in Sacramento. When Woodland was made part of the Yuba Community College District she join the staff and launched the nursing program. She taught hundreds of students during her 17-years at WCC before retiring.
Dorothy Leathers
2014 Honoree
Along with a direct connection to agriculture — she and her husband farmed several acres of land in the Sutter Basin near Knights Landing for more than 50 years — Leathers served as the local representative to the Yuba Community College Board of Trustees for 22 years. The mother of six children, Leathers and her husband were extremely active in a variety of boards and commissions, and she was a key leader as a Trustee during WCC’s move from a small, rented building on California Street to its current spacious site on East Gibson Road.
Paul Leathers
2014 Honoree
One of the original 12 staff members, Leathers passed along a wealth of knowledge about plant science and other agricultural subjects to thousands of students over his 30-plus years as a teacher in Woodland secondary schools and as ag instructor at WCC. Although the first college classroom he taught in was a multipurpose room at Douglass Junior High, Leathers grew the WCC ag program to include several greenhouses, lathe buildings and gardens for hands-on learning opportunities.
Betsy Marchand
2014 Honoree
As the first woman on the Yolo County Board of Supervisors, Marchand’s determined spirit played a key role in acquiring the land for WCC. Marchand was able to connect a project to expand the Yolo County jail and find a permanent campus for WCC. Needed infrastructure in Woodland’s Southeast Area had previously made East Gibson Road an unlikely option. But a series of events in the early 1980s culminated with Marchand fighting for and winning a grant of more than $13 million to build a new jail, roads, water, sewer and other necessary utilities to develop the land WCC sits on today.
Virginia Pohl
2014 Honoree
A mother of four and a junior high teacher, Pohl played a critical role in gathering local momentum in the early 1970s for a college in Woodland. An English teacher at Lee Junior High School, Pohl saw a need for higher education in this area and began writing letters to the editors of local newspapers and organizing meetings to focus energy toward creating a college district. Although later it was determined that the area was too small for its own district, Pohl became chairwoman of a committee that ultimately played a critical role in Woodland’s eventual connection to the Yuba Community College District.
Cynthia Kellogg
2015 Honoree
Growing up across the street from a university in Indiana, Cynthia Kellogg “always knew” she would be involved in education. Cynthia teaches English at Woodland Community College and has been teaching at WCC sine they first opened at Douglass Junior High School in Woodland.
Frank Rodgers
2015 Honoree
Born and raised along Cache Creek right outside of Woodland, Rodgers was one of the original faculty members at Woodland Community college and taught business-related classes full-time or more than 30 years at WCC.
Jenee Rawlings
2015 Honoree
Yolo Federal’s Chief Executive Office, Jenee Rawlings, started off as a teller at a rural mini mart selling beer, gas, fish and bait. Shortly thereafter, she became a part-time bank teller and, through determination and continued education — including obtaining an Associate’s Degree from Woodland Community College — Rawlings worked her way up to the top position at Yolo Federal Credit Union.
Mary Huizar
2015 Honoree
“Indispensible” has many synonyms: Crucial. Essential. Fundamental. Imperative. Vital.
Terry Turner
2015 Honoree
Turner, who passed away in April 2013, was one of the original 12 faculty members at Yuba College’s Woodland Campus. He taught art and humanities for 35 years — bringing his love of art to hundreds of college students, while also expanding their understanding of social justice with his calm, determined demeanor
Lee Mitchell
2016 Honoree
Lee “Fuzzy” Mitchell was one of the original 12 professors at WCC and had an indelible impact on the campus, with students, and the community at large. Over 35 years, Lee taught anthropology, ecology, geography, geology and oceanography. If you didn’t have a class with Lee, then you saw him at the Yolo County Fair where he was a fixture on behalf of the college. Lee took great joy in teaching, often providing his own funds for books for students who had limited resources. He loved his time at the California Street campus because his office was right next to the student lounge, and he could spend lots of time with students.
Jim Lawson
2016 Honoree
Jim Lawson left Yuba College in 1975 with Director Gene Hickey to help open the first Woodland Community College campus. With Hickey, Jim hired what would be the first instructors, twelve in all, including Jim. Jim studied at Providence College for his undergraduate degree and later attended UC Davis getting his graduate degree in theater. In 1968 Yuba College hired him as theater teacher by phone, sight unseen. He must have made a good impression. Students flocked to Jim because of his sense of humor, approachability, and his great teaching style. Jim was very attuned to the needs of his students and relished the fact that no two classes were ever the same.
Sunny Foster
2016 Honoree
Sunny Foster’s time at Woodland Community College can be described as quality over quantity. From 1985 to 1995 the college, was graced with Sunny’s presence. As administrative assistant to Executive Dean Marian Shivers, Sunny was an integral part the college administration during her tenure. And those that worked with her know that nickname perfectly describes Sunny’s disposition. Sunny was raised in Pleasant Hill. She attended CSU Chico. Although she professes to not being great at shorthand, a requirement for secretaries at the time, she applied to WCC on the advice of a friend. Once hired, Sunny felt supported by her employer and her strengths greatly outweighed any perceived deficiency in her shorthand skills.
Skip Davies
2016 Honoree
Skip attended Marysville High and then Yuba College, Woodland Community College’s long time parent school. Skip transferred to UC Davis where he was a starter for the football team while earning two bachelors degrees in History and Physical Education. Skip earned his Masters CSU Sacramento in and a doctorate in from Utah State University. As principal of Douglass Jr. High he partnered with Dan Walker from Yuba College to create a Woodland Center. For the first year of its existence, the Woodland Center was housed at Douglass. Skip’s career took him to the Los Rios Community College District where he spent the bulk of his career in several capacities, in addition he served four stints an interim dean at WCC. Skip is also a two time Mayor of Woodland.
Tania Garcia Cadena
2016 Honoree
WCC launched Tania into a career serving children working mostly with preschoolers, and as a parent and community volunteer. Her work with the Woodland Childcare Commission, Woodland Parks and Recreation Commission, three school parent organizations, the Woodland Schools Foundation, and Soroptimist International was recognized when the Woodland City Council in 2012 presented her with a Community Service Award.
First 5 Yolo
2016 Honoree
First 5 Yolo is a major supporter for many years of Woodland Community College’s Foster and Kinship Care Education program to improve foster care for our county’s young children, those that have been abused, neglected or abandoned. The Commission continues to support this most at-risk local population of young children.
Jorge Ayala
2017 Honoree
In 1996 Jorge Ayala was elected Yolo County Superintendent of Schools, becoming the first elected Latino county superintendent in California. After a 41-year career in education, Jorge retired in 2014, remaining active in education commissions and organizations. A community college student himself, he is a strong proponent of K-14 education in Yolo County. He believes in an educational atmosphere of high expectations for learners.
Harold Douglass
2017 Honoree
After retiring from a highly-acclaimed career as a teacher, principal, and associate superintendent in the Woodland school district, Harold Douglass began a six year consultancy for Yuba College, Woodland Center, focusing on developing local programs taught by local teachers and community experts in his major role as evening class supervisor. He has a school named in his honor and was an early recipient of the City’s Community Service Award.
Diana Lizarraga
2017 Honoree
WCC was an important part of Diana Lizarraga’s path to becoming the Director of UC Berkeley’s NERD Program, where she employs a holistic approach to mentoring low-income, first-generation, LGTBQ, foster undocumented, transfer and minority student by focusing on Finances, Life, Academics, Resources and Environment. “Being at community college when I was younger gave me exposure. It taught me that there’s opportunity everywhere.”
John Young
2017 Honoree
WCC Foundation honors John Young, Yolo County Agricultural Commissioner and WCC Alumnus, for his many contributions to the college. Young serves on the WCC Agricultural Advisory Committee where he helps put WCC Student in direct pathways to lucrative careers. Young sees growth opportunities for WCC students related to niche farming, greenhouse environments, and seed science. He supports expanding career technical education and culinary arts programs.
Chor Yu
2017 Honoree
One of the original 12 faculty members at Yuba College’s Woodland Center, Chor taught math and computer science. He and his family in China were twice refugees from war. With the help of an uncle and a missionary in Idaho, he sailed to America “to seek my American dream.” After learning English at the College of Idaho, earned a degree in civil engineering at UC Berkeley and his M.A. from Stanford. He started 28-year of teaching at Yuba College in Marysville.
Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation
2017 Honoree
The Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation Community Fund is dedicated to creating a healthy community through engaged philanthropy, deep community knowledge and awareness, and active leadership. It is a major supporter of Woodland Community College’s Foster and Kinship Care Education program, helping to improve foster care for our county’s children, those who have been abused, neglected, and abandoned.
Dave Althausen, Sr.
2018 Honoree
An accomplished Woodland police officer from 1966 until his retirement in 1993, Dave Althausen, Sr. was a WCC adjunct faculty member in Criminal Justice and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. He was known for his energetic and jovial manner while sharing his stories with students. He was active on the campus, participating in the school’s Academic Senate and was a regular face in the library where he would assist Darlene Gray and any student who asked.
Duane Chanberlain
2018 Honoree
graduate of UC Davis and a past president of the Yolo County Farm Bureau, farmer, and Yolo County Supervisor Duane Chamberlain is an advocate for quality education, especially in agriculture. He has worked to improve equal access to education and libraries throughout the county, and has invited WCC students onto his farm for a first-hand ag experience. He has served on the board of Yolo Land Trust and UCD’s College of Agriculture Advisory Committee.
Kay Gasson
2018 Honoree
Kay Gasson’s life has been focused on serving others. At WCC she wanted to work directly with students in need. She was especially valued for her caring assistance in the Disabled Students Programs and Services Center. As an active community volunteer for more than 40 years, she serves others through several organizations including Omega Nu, the Emblem Club of the Elks, PEO, and the Woodland Healthcare Auxiliary in the psychiatric ward.
Francisco Rodriguez
2018 Honoree
A UC Davis graduate, Francisco Rodriguez was Yuba College’s Woodland Campus Executive Dean as it developed into an independent college. Highly regarded for his engaging leadership style, Rodriguez today is the head of the state’s largest community college district, Los Angeles Community College District. He has been a leader in two other districts and many educational leadership organizations. But he hasn’t gone far, as he continues to live in Woodland.
Don Tingley
2018 Honoree
Retirement from a high school teaching career got old for Don Tingley, so he asked whether WCC might need a computer teacher, thereby launching his second career. Later he applied for an evening supervisor position and via the interview with Francisco Rodriguez gained a life-long friend as they soon became a leadership team. Later at Consumes River College Rodriguez asked Don to fill several interim positions, turning down only the Athletic Director job.
Rotary Club of Woodland
2018 Honoree
Rotary International’s motto of “Service Above Self” is visible throughout our community, especially in support of youth and education. At WCC the contribution of Woodland’s original Rotary club is evident at the entrance to the campus, where the double-sided LED marquee informs students, staff and the community of the school’s activities. A substantial donation from the Rotary Club of Woodland made this installation possible.
Pat Hecht
2019 Honoree
Born in San Francisco Pat attended Mercy High School, and earned a Bachelor’s Degree from San Francisco State University. Pat taught elementary school in San Francisco and Copperopolis, CA. She later worked at Longs Drugs in Davis and retired from Woodland Community College where she worked in Student Services. Following retirement Pat gave generously as a volunteer at the Davis Senior Center. She served as a Senior Peer Counselor through the Yolo County Older Adult Program and later through the Citizens Who Care program where she made weekly visits to Seniors in need of support to navigate life’s challenges.
Phil Krebs
2019 Honoree
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Marian Shivers
2019 Honoree
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Xavier Tafoya
2019 Honoree
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UCCE Master Gardener
2019 Honoree
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Natalie Corona
2019 Honoree
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Lance Davis
2020 Honoree
Soon after Lance Davis began teaching math and science at Woodland High, he expanded his teaching skills to Yuba College’s Woodland Center. He taught math, physical science, chemistry, and was involved in the work experience program. In addition, he taught math at a migrant camp in Davis. Lance is an avid hiker and an active volunteer in his local community.
Foster & Kinship Care Education Program
2020 Honoree
The FKCE program provides education and support for resource parents and caregivers of children, teens and transitional age youth placed in out-of-home care to meet the educational, emotional, behavioral and developmental needs of these children and youth. Cherie Schroeder is the program’s director and founder.
Dennis Schiermeyer
2020 Honoree
Dennis Schiermeyer’s WJUSD coaching and teaching career coincided with him being an adjunct math and chemistry professor at WCC from 1975-2019. His dedication to his athletes and teaching practices never wavered. He always urged his students to do their best and stay positive at all times. In his 44 years at WCC he taught three generations of families.
Ana Villagrana
2020 Honoree
Her hesitant enrollment in our community college led to many successes, including a 4-year college degree. She eventually became the executive assistant to the president of Woodland Community College. She played a major role in the growth of the WCC Fund, especially the Founders Day Celebrations. She also had the satisfaction of having her children follow in her footsteps.
Dr. Daniel Walker
2020 Honoree
The visionary and advocate behind the development of Woodland Community College, Dr. Walker at the age of thirty-eight became Yuba College President/Superintendent, serving from 1970 – 1983. His support of higher education in rural areas led to providing those opportunities to Woodland, Esparto, Colusa County, and Lake County, all part of WCC today