Institutional Staff Liaisons

NWCCU assigns a staff liaison to each affiliated institution. This staff liaison serves as the primary resource person to that institution. The staff liaison explains NWCCU policies and procedures and draws on the skills of other staff members to provide effective assistance and service to colleges and universities.

Gita Bangera

Gita Bangera, PhD, Senior Vice President, comes to NWCCU most recently as the first Dean of the Connected Learning Division at Bellevue College, and has served as Interim Vice President of Instruction and Acting Co-President. She founded the RISE Learning Institute developing it from concept to successful implementation to bring high impact practices such as Research, Project, and Service based learning to students across all disciplines. Dr. Bangera served as a working group co-lead for the Accelerating Systemic Change Network, an Aspen Institute Rising Presidents Fellow and Advisory Board Member for the State-wide Faculty of Color Mentoring program, and has supported NWCCU as an Evaluator.

Ed Harri

Ed Harri, EdD, Senior Vice President, has served in faculty and administrative leadership roles for the last 23 years. At Whatcom Community College, Ed served as math faculty, department chair, division chair, dean for instruction, and vice president for instruction, as well as serving as the accreditation liaison officer. Most recently, Ed has served as the interim director of institutional effectiveness at Green River College. Ed has dedicated his career to studying and improving student learning and outcomes, and is passionate about using data as a tool to inform institutional progress and professional development for faculty and staff. He has presented on the results of this work at many NWCCU workshops and conferences. He has also served as an accreditation evaluator and team chair for numerous mid-cycle and EIE reports and visits.

Ron Larsen

Ron Larsen, PhD, PE, Senior Vice President, comes to NWCCU from his most recent position as Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Montana State University-Bozeman. Dr. Larsen previously served as Associate Provost and Interim Dean for the Graduate School in Bozeman, and as Interim Chancellor at Montana State University-Billings. In his various roles, he has helped develop student learning outcomes and assessment, promoted improved retention rates and student success, and instituted measures to close equity gaps. Dr. Larsen has supported NWCCU as an Evaluator, Evaluation Team Chair, and Accreditation Liaison Officer.

Selena Grace

Selena Grace, PhD, Executive Vice President, recently served as one of the Senior Vice Presidents for NWCCU. She provided support to a portfolio of institutions with a focus on supporting the Tribal Colleges and federally recognized Minority Serving Institutions. Her work included building internal DEI capacity and other equity initiatives, internal strategic planning, supporting substantive changes processes and procedures, supporting peer evaluator capacity, and updates and revisions to handbooks. Previously she served as Vice Provost for Academic Strategy & Institutional Effectiveness at Idaho State University. Dr. Grace brings significant experience leading transformational change in education policy and practices, as well as bringing diverse constituents together. She was a member of the inaugural cohort of the WICHE Western Academic Leadership Academy, and her previous experience includes Chief Academic Officer at the Idaho State Board of Education where she was the primary author and manager of the Complete College Idaho Plan. Dr. Grace has supported NWCCU as an Evaluator, Evaluation Team Chair, and Accreditation Liaison Officer, and has deep knowledge of accreditation and higher education regulations.

Institutional Liaisons by Institution

(updated 8/31/2022)

Aaniiih Nakoda College, Dr. Selena Grace
Alaska Pacific University, Dr. Selena Grace
Bastyr University, Dr. Ron Larsen
Bates Technical College, Dr. Ed Harri
Bellevue College, Dr. Ed Harri
Bellingham Technical College, Dr. Ron Larsen
Big Bend Community College, Dr. Ed Harri
Blackfeet Community College, Dr. Selena Grace
Blue Mountain Community College, Dr. Gita Bangera
Boise State University, Dr. Ron Larsen
Brigham Young University – Idaho, Dr. Selena Grace
Brigham Young University, Dr. Selena Grace
Bushnell University , Dr. Ron Larsen
Capilano University, Dr. Ed Harri
Carroll College, Dr. Ed Harri
Cascadia College, Dr. Ron Larsen
Central Oregon Community College, Dr. Gita Bangera
Central Washington University, Dr. Gita Bangera
Centralia College, Dr. Ron Larsen
Chemeketa Community College, Dr. Ron Larsen
Chief Dull Knife College, Dr. Selena Grace
City University of Seattle, Dr. Gita Bangera
Clackamas Community College, Dr. Gita Bangera
Clark College, Dr. Ed Harri
Clatsop Community College, Dr. Ron Larsen
Clover Park Technical College, Dr. Ed Harri
College of Eastern Idaho, Dr. Ed Harri
College of Southern Idaho, Dr. Gita Bangera
College of Southern Nevada, Dr. Ed Harri
College of Western Idaho, Dr. Ron Larsen
Columbia Basin College, Dr. Ed Harri
Columbia Gorge Community College, Dr. Ed Harri
Corban University, Dr. Gita Bangera
Cornish College of the Arts, Dr. Ed Harri
Dawson Community College, Dr. Ron Larsen
Eastern Oregon University, Dr. Gita Bangera
Eastern Washington University, Dr. Ron Larsen
Edmonds Community College, Dr. Ed Harri
Ensign College, Dr. Selena Grace
Everett Community College, Dr. Ron Larsen
Flathead Valley Community College, Dr. Gita Bangera
Fort Peck Community College, Dr. Selena Grace
George Fox University, Dr. Ron Larsen
Gonzaga University, Dr. Ron Larsen
Grays Harbor College, Dr. Ron Larsen
Great Basin College, Dr. Ron Larsen
Great Falls College Montana State University, Dr. Gita Bangera
Green River College, Dr. Ron Larsen
Helena College University of Montana, Dr. Selena Grace
Heritage University, Dr. Gita Bangera
Highline College, Dr. Gita Bangera
Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Selena Grace
Idaho State University, Dr. Gita Bangera
Ilisagvik College, Dr. Selena Grace
Joyce Univeristy of Nursing & Health Sciences, Dr. Ed Harri
Klamath Community College, Dr. Gita Bangera
Lake Washington Institute of Technology, Dr. Ed Harri
Lane Community College, Dr. Gita Bangera
Lewis and Clark College, Dr. Ed Harri
Lewis-Clark State College, Dr. Gita Bangera
Linfield College, Dr. Ron Larsen
Linn-Benton Community College, Dr. Ron Larsen
Little Big Horn College, Dr. Selena Grace
Lower Columbia College, Dr. Ron Larsen
Miles Community College, Dr. Ron Larsen
Montana State University – Billings, Dr. Gita Bangera
Montana State University – Bozeman, Dr. Gita Bangera
Montana State University – Northern, Dr. Gita Bangera
Montana Technological University, Dr. Ed Harri
Mount Angel Seminary, Dr. Selena Grace
Mt. Hood Community College, Dr. Gita Bangera
Multnomah University, Dr. Ron Larsen
National University of Natural Medicine, Dr. Ron Larsen
Neumont College of Computer Science, Dr. Ron Larsen
Nevada State College, Dr. Ed Harri
New Saint Andrews, Dr. Selena Grace
Nightingale College, Dr. Ron Larsen
North Idaho College, Dr. Ron Larsen
North Seattle College, Dr. Ed Harri
Northwest Indian College, Dr. Selena Grace
Northwest Nazarene University, Dr. Ron Larsen
Northwest University, Dr. Ed Harri
Olympic College, Dr. Ed Harri
Oregon Coast Community College, Dr. Gita Bangera
Oregon Health and Science University, Dr. Gita Bangera
Oregon Institute of Technology, Dr. Gita Bangera
Oregon State University, Dr. Gita Bangera
Pacific Lutheran University, Dr. Selena Grace
Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences, Dr. Gita Bangera
Pacific University, Dr. Ed Harri
Peninsula College, Dr. Ron Larsen
Pierce College, Dr. Ed Harri
Portland Community College, Dr. Ed Harri
Portland State University, Dr. Gita Bangera
Reed College, Dr. Ron Larsen
Renton Technical College, Dr. Gita Bangera
Rocky Mountain College, Dr. Gita Bangera
Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions, Dr. Ed Harri
Rogue Community College, Dr. Gita Bangera
Roseman University of Health Sciences, Dr. Selena Grace
Saint Martin’s University, Dr. Ed Harri
Salish Kootenai College, Dr. Selena Grace
Salt Lake Community College, Dr. Gita Bangera
Seattle Central College, Dr. Ed Harri
Seattle Pacific University, Dr. Ron Larsen
Seattle School of Theology & Psychology, Dr. Ron Larsen
Seattle University, Dr. Ron Larsen
Shoreline Community College, Dr. Ed Harri
Simon Fraser University, Dr. Ed Harri
Skagit Valley College, Dr. Gita Bangera
Snow College, Dr. Gita Bangera
South Puget Sound Community College, Dr. Ed Harri
South Seattle College, Dr. Ed Harri
Southern Oregon University, Dr. Gita Bangera
Southern Utah University, Dr. Gita Bangera
Southwestern Oregon Community College, Dr. Gita Bangera
Spokane Community College, Dr. Ron Larsen
Spokane Falls Community College, Dr. Ron Larsen
Stone Child College, Dr. Selena Grace
Tacoma Community College, Dr. Ed Harri
The College of Idaho, Dr. Gita Bangera
The Evergreen State College, Dr. Ron Larsen
The University of Montana – Missoula, Dr. Selena Grace
The University of Montana – Western, Dr. Selena Grace
Thompson Rivers University, Dr. Ed Harri
Tillamook Bay Community College, Dr. Gita Bangera
Treasure Valley Community College, Dr. Selena Grace
Truckee Meadows Community College, Dr. Ed Harri
Umpqua Community College, Dr. Ed Harri
University of Alaska Anchorage, Dr. Ed Harri
University of Alaska Fairbanks, Dr. Ed Harri
University of Alaska Southeast, Dr. Ed Harri
University of Idaho, Dr. Ron Larsen
University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Dr. Ed Harri
University of Nevada, Reno, Dr. Ron Larsen
University of Oregon, Dr. Ed Harri
University of Portland, Dr. Gita Bangera
University of Providence, Dr. Gita Bangera
University of Puget Sound, Dr. Ed Harri
University of Utah, Dr. Gita Bangera
University of Washington, Dr. Ed Harri
University of Western States, Dr. Ed Harri
Utah State University, Dr. Ed Harri
Utah Tech University, Dr. Ron Larsen
Utah Valley University, Dr. Ron Larsen
Walla Walla Community College, Dr. Ed Harri
Walla Walla University, Dr. Ron Larsen
Warner Pacific University, Dr. Gita Bangera
Washington State University, Dr. Selena Grace
Weber State University, Dr. Ed Harri
Wenatchee Valley College, Dr. Ron Larsen
Western Governors University, Dr. Selena Grace
Western Nevada College, Dr. Ron Larsen
Western Oregon University, Dr. Gita Bangera
Western Seminary, Dr. Gita Bangera
Western Washington University, Dr. Ron Larsen
Westminster College, Dr. Ron Larsen
Whatcom Community College, Dr. Gita Bangera
Whitman College, Dr. Gita Bangera
Whitworth University, Dr. Gita Bangera
Willamette University, Dr. Gita Bangera
Yakima Valley College, Dr. Selena Grace