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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Difference Maker: Outgoing chancellor of Community Colleges of Spokane leaves behind gifts for students

Christine Johnson, chancellor of the Community Colleges of Spokane, is retiring after 12 years in the position. She was photographed at the CCS offices in Spokane on Tuesday.  (Jesse Tinsley/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)

There is an African proverb that Christine Johnson really likes.

“If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together,” said Johnson, Community Colleges of Spokane’s former chancellor. “In leadership, every now and then there’s something fast you just have to go out and do, but 99.9% of the work is done together. Every person on the team counts and you have to be able to respect them and give them clear direction and really believe in them.”

Originally from New Mexico, Johnson spent more than 40 years working in education as a teacher, administrator and leader in Colorado. She came to Spokane with her husband for the chancellorship in 2010 and was named the top community college leader in the nation by the Association of Community College Trustees in October this year.

She retired Saturday after serving for 12 years. Greg Stevens, CCS’s chief strategy and administration officer, is the interim chancellor.

Johnson has seen much change in education since she began her career. Many have happened during her tenure in Spokane. Whether it’s the leaps forward in technology, budget cuts to colleges across the country or, more recently, the tumult of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Community Colleges of Spokane has remained a stable place for students to pursue higher education across Eastern Washington. CCS oversees Spokane Community College, Spokane Falls Community College, as well some smaller branches, including one in Pullman.

“Higher ed has gone through a lot of turmoil and transition and Dr. Johnson has brought a lot of stability, but she has also brought a spirit of innovation that she has never lost,” said Spokane Falls Community College President Kimberlee Messina, who was hired by Johnson in 2019. “She is passionate about what we do.”

For Johnson, that stability is the result of having a clear vision about what it means to serve.

“At least in my work, education is about serving the public, ensuring students get what they need to succeed and move on,” Johnson said. “That student could be a 16-year old in Running Start or a 60-year-old who got laid off, or it could be an immigrant or a single mom.”

Johnson leaves behind four parting gifts: two scholarships and two emergency funds for CCS students. The two scholarships are in memory of her late husband, Carl Griffin, who died in May 2022.

The Johnson-Griffin Healthy Communities Scholarship will provide funds toward a renewable four-year mental health degree at Spokane Falls Community College. The Carl Griffin Scholarship for Environmental Sciences will provide a renewable two-year environmental sciences degree at Spokane Community College.

Both subjects were important to Griffin, who was an avid outdoorsman and volunteer at Daybreak Youth Services, a mental health center for teens, Johnson said.

Johnson also is leaving behind the Christine Johnson Fund for Futures, which will provide emergency support to students across the community college district who are single parents in need of funding to help them remain in college. The funds provide relief for basic necessities that would otherwise prevent them from going to school.

“We have far too many students who are parents who have to make a choice on kids or their future,” said Heather Beebee-Stevens, director of the CCS Foundation. “The fund is for them so they don’t have to make that choice.”

Students who need a car repair to get to school or glasses, for instance, might qualify for the funds, Beebee-Stevens said.

Johnson also leaves behind an emergency fund for the women who play on the Community College’s of Spokane’s athletic teams.

Business leaders in Spokane have agreed to provide matching funds for scholarships, Johnson said.

Johnson’s mantra has always centered on benefits for students, said Pullman Mayor Glenn Johnson, who serves as the chair of the Community Colleges of Spokane Board of Trustees.

“Around here, yes, WSU is huge, but we have so many students now, and parents have realized that Running Start is the best way to get their kids through school,” Glenn Johnson said. “It gives all the students here an alternative to just going to a four-year school.”

The mayor worked with Christine Johnson on several projects, including relocating a branch of the Community Colleges of Spokane on WSU’s campus in 2017.

“Because of her great leadership and excellent work with our chief financial officer, Spokane has always been afloat,” Glenn Johnson said. “You can take a look at some other community colleges in the state, some have been near bankruptcy.”

CCS has learning centers across Eastern Washington that are “the life of communities” in Republic, Colville, Newport, Ione and Inchelium, Johnson said.

“In this role I’ve had a chance to reach out into the rural communities, because those are my roots,” Johnson said. “We can’t forget the small towns. Students deserve an opportunity and often there aren’t many options for them.”

A much greater emphasis was put on providing remote education for students (and work for faculty) as a result of COVID, Johnson said. That is one of the biggest changes she has seen in education in her career. It’s also something she is most proud of.

“Whether they’re taking the class online or taking the class physically, the success rates at CCS are comparable, and we take that as a real sign of quality,” Johnson said. “It’s adapting and leading change. It’s one of the things that has kept us in a strong position even in challenging times. That’s very characteristic of CCS.”