Board of Trustees Meeting

Location

Hybrid Meeting Format: offering both in-person and virtual meeting access

Minutes

Attendees

Board of Trustees: Chair Swenson, Vice Chair Bowman, Trustee Exstrom, Trustee Johnson

Executive Cabinet: Acting President Jamilyn Penn, Danielle Slota, Rolita Ezeonu,, Josh Gerstman, Maribel Jimenez, Melanie Lawson, Michael Pham, Tim Wrye

Assistant Attorney General: Justin Kjolseth

Absent: None

Study Session call to order: 9:06 a.m.

Discussion Topics

• First Quarter Financial Review, Dr. Michael Pham (30 minutes)
• BoT Fee Request Review, Dr. Michael Pham (10 minutes)
• Board Policy Review – Continued discussion on College Policy 1020, Process for Development of New Policies, Chair Swenson (10 minutes)
• Final review of Student Conduct Code Title IX Supplemental Procedures for proposed action in General Session, Ty Torres & Ay Saechao (5 minutes)

Executive Sessions

• Executive Session*
  • Performance of a Public Employee

*The Board, as and when deemed necessary, may call an Executive Session for appropriate purposes under the Open Meetings Act.

(g) To evaluate the qualifications of an applicant for public employment or to review the performance of a public employee. However, subject to RCW 42.30.140(4), discussion by a governing body of salaries, wages, and other conditions of employment to be generally applied within the agency shall occur in a meeting open to the public, and when a governing body elects to take final action hiring, setting the salary of an individual employee or class of employees, or discharging or disciplining an employee, that action shall be taken in a meeting open to the public;

Board of Trustees entered Executive Session at 9:45 a.m. with a scheduled end time of 10:30 a.m., extended to 10:40 a.m., extended to 11:30 a.m.

Meeting adjourned at 11:30 a.m.

Board of Trustees Meeting

Location

Hybrid Meeting Format: offering both in-person and virtual meeting access

General Session Minutes

Roll Call

Board of Trustees: Chair Swenson, Vice Chair Bowman, Trustee Exstrom

Executive Cabinet:  Acting President Jamilyn Penn, Danielle Slota, Rolita Ezeonu,, Josh Gerstman, Maribel Jimenez, Melanie Lawson, Michael Pham, Tim Wrye

Assistant Attorney General: Justin Kjolseth

Absent: Trustee Johnson

General Session called to order: 11:30 a.m.

Opportunity for public comment

Ann Korn – Faculty and member of Faculty Senate distributed statements from faculty and students speaking to challenges in financial aid. Spoke to shared concerns about the new foreign transcript review process. 

Monica Lemoine – Spoke to challenges that faculty are managing in supporting students with financial aid. Spoke to the expectations of accountability, cultural responsiveness, access and accountability. Trust has broken down and the relationship needs to be prepared. Expressed that departments outside of financial aid shouldn’t have to be holding financial aid accountable.

Approve minutes

Approve minutes of the regularly scheduled meeting of October 9, 2025 and the Nov. 6, 2025 Special Meeting – Moved by Trustee Bowman, Trustee Exstrom seconded. Motion passed unanimously.

Action Items

Action item a. Approval of Student Conduct Code/Title IX Supplemental Procedures Emergency Rule – Moved by Trustee Bowman, Trustees Exstrom seconded. Motion passed unanimously.

Action item b. Trustee Exstrom motioned to introduce an unscheduled action item. Trustee Exstrom motioned to appoint Dr. Penn to Acting President in the absence of Dr. Mosby as he navigates his health challenges. Trustee Bowman seconded. Motion passed unanimously.

Chair Swenson entered comments that the board would revisit the appointment of acting president in early 2026.

Standing Reports

Highline College Education Association: Dr. James Peyton – spoke to the current state of the campus and the work that faculty is doing at this time. Spoke to the importance of leadership on campus.

Washington Public Employees Association: George Babcock – spoke to concerns about the legislature not funding the WPEA contract. Advocating for individuals to contact their legislatures to advocate on their behalf

Faculty Senate: Dr. Sangeeta Sangha – Senate passed a motion advising members of academic affairs to vote against the proposal to replace the current Biology DTA/MRP degree with a new Associate in Biology Direct Transfer agreement/Major Ready Program. Senate heard a new Computer Science Degree proposal. Senate voiced shared concerns about financial aid, elevating the concerns to passing a motion that they be brought to the BoT. Shared quantitative and qualitative data collected in a survey circulated by respiratory care that had a 78%response rate. Also spoke to concerns about faculty’s ability to advise effectively, enrollment challenges when coupled with financial aid access, and concerns about foreign high school transcript evaluations.

Associated Students of Highline College: Jasmine Nyabigo – spoke to challenges on campus with price of food and the increasing reliance of students on food access services, spoke to recent forum with Executive Cabinet

Highline College Foundation: Sharon Vail – Spoke to the Foundation’s recent efforts to improve student access to food. Spoke to upcoming Thunderbirds Soar event.

Area reports

• Academic Affairs: Interim VP Dr. Rolita Ezeonu – written report as stands
• Administrative Services: VP Dr. Michael Pham – written report as stands
• Equity, Diversity and Transformation: VP Dra. Maribel Jimenez – written report as stands
• Human Resources: VP Melanie Lawson – written report as stands
• Information Technology Services: CIO Tim Wrye – written report as stands
• Institutional Advancement: VP Josh Gerstman – written report as stands
• Student Services: VP Dr. Jamilyn Penn – written report as stands

President’s Remarks

Dr. Penn spoke to her forward movement in the Acting President role. She spoke to the challenges and concerns voiced about financial aid. She spoke to the need for collaboration and confirmed that there will be no animosity or retaliation on employees or students who have brought forward concerns. 

Adjournment

Meeting adjourned at 12:25 p.m.

Minutes Signed and Approved

The meeting minutes from Nov. 13, 2025, were approved and signed into record by Chair Swenson and Acting President Penn on Dec. 11, 2025

Mission Statement: As a South King County college striving for social justice, Highline College partners with global students as they envision, plan and achieve their educational and professional goals.