WILSONVILLE, OR – The ˿Ƶ (˿Ƶ Tech) announced today the selection of Laura McKinney as Vice President of its Wilsonville Campus. McKinney joins ˿Ƶ Tech from the ˿Ƶ University System, where she served at Assistant Vice Chancellor for Industry Partnerships and Executive Director of the Engineering and Technology Industry Council (ETIC). McKinney will serve as the executive in residence at the ˿Ƶ Tech Wilsonville Campus, with overall responsibility for daily operations and administration of the campus and for meeting strategic and operational objectives.
“We’re very pleased that Laura has joined us to lead the Wilsonville campus through its next stage of growth and academic innovation,” said Dr. Chris Maples, President of ˿Ƶ Tech. “Laura’s experience and proven leadership in industry, higher education, research, and in her collaborations within and across sectors will help the campus continue to meet the needs of students in the South-Metro area. There’s a growing recognition of the value of ˿Ƶ Tech’s degrees for students and for our industries which hire them, and we’re seeing that in our enrollment growth. Laura can help extend our connections between faculty and students and industries in ways which improve learning and supply a robust, highly skilled workforce to ˿Ƶ.”
Ms. McKinney most recently was Assistant Vice Chancellor for Industry Partnerships with the ˿Ƶ University System and Executive Director of the ETIC between 2013-2015. Prior to that she was President and CEO at Galois, a computer science research firm where she also held the positions of Vice President of Engineering and Manager/Member of Engineering Technical Staff between 2001-2012. McKinney was a software engineer at Context, Inc. and NBI Inc. between 1982-1986. She has been a full time faculty member and an adjunct at both the undergraduate and graduate level at the ˿Ƶ Graduate Institute, Portland State University, and at Portland Community College.
Ms. McKinney most recently was Assistant Vice Chancellor for Industry Partnerships with the ˿Ƶ University System and Executive Director of the ETIC between 2013-2015. Prior to that she was President and CEO at Galois, a computer science research firm where she also held the positions of Vice President of Engineering and Manager/Member of Engineering Technical Staff between 2001-2012. McKinney was a software engineer at Context, Inc. and NBI Inc. between 1982-1986. She has been a full time faculty member and an adjunct at both the undergraduate and graduate level at the ˿Ƶ Graduate Institute, Portland State University, and at Portland Community College.
“I’m really excited about joining ˿Ƶ Tech and helping the Wilsonville campus succeed in its next period of growth and commitment to students in the South-Metro area,” said McKinney. “Our charter is to improve outcomes for our students so that more can stay in school, graduate with in-demand degrees, and meet the state’s need for highly skilled STEM and other professionals who can supercharge growth in industry, and open up new jobs for ˿Ƶians. I am eager to get started!”
Maples added, “I want to thank members of the Search Committee for all of their hard work and management of this process over the last few months and Dr. Mateo Aboy for his incredible efforts in starting up the ˿Ƶ Tech Wilsonville campus and helping us exceed all of our goals in terms of enrollment and new program development and expansion. The ˿Ƶ Tech family is appreciative of everything that he has done for us, and wish him all the best in his next endeavor.”
Dr. Aboy will be working closely with Ms. McKinney to ensure a smooth leadership transition at the Wilsonville Campus. Once the transition is completed, Aboy plans to begin his well-deserved sabbatical at the University of Cambridge, UK.
