- Year Published : 2025
- Month Published : November
BOULDER, COLORADO — Michael Dembrow, a member of the Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission who served in the Oregon Legislature as a state representative and state senator for 16 years, has been appointed to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) as a commissioner.
The WICHE Commission is comprised of 48 commissioners appointed by their respective governors from the 15 Western states and the U.S. Pacific Territories and Freely Associated States. The commissioners are higher education leaders and include state higher education executive officers, college and university presidents, legislators, business and community leaders, and other key partners. Together, they guide WICHE’s strategic direction and assure that the Western Regional Education Compact, which the Western states adopted in 1953, is carried out for the benefit of the region.
“I’m grateful to Gov. Tina Kotek for appointing me to be a WICHE commissioner,” Dembrow said. “It’s more crucial now than ever that states work together to learn, share best practices, and create partnerships that can bring down educational costs and extend access. That’s what WICHE is all about, and I’m eager to be a part of it.”
Retiring from the legislature in 2024, Dembrow co-chairs Oregon’s new Environmental Restoration Council, is an advisor to Jobs for the Future’s Fair Chance to Advance Initiative for prison education/reentry, and is on the board for the Oregon Center for Public Policy. Prior to the legislature, Dembrow taught at Portland Community College, serving as faculty union president for 16 of those years.
Most recently, Dembrow co-chaired the National Conference of State Legislatures’ (NCSL) 2023-25 Task Force on Higher Education with Utah State Sen. F. Ann Millner, who serves as the 2026 chair of the WICHE Commission. While a state legislator, From 2010 to 2022, Dembrow served on WICHE’s Legislative Advisory Committee (LAC), which helps to inform the Commission and staff about legislative issues related to higher education.
“Michael Dembrow’s years on campus as an English instructor and faculty leader, combined with his legislative leadership and service on the Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission, give him an unparalleled understanding of how policy and practice intersect to improve student outcomes,” said WICHE President Demarée Michelau. “WICHE benefits tremendously from leaders who can translate policy into impact, and we look forward to working with him again in his new role with the Commission.”
Dembrow joins Ben Cannon, executive director of the Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission, and Lisa Skari, president of Mt. Hood Community College, representing Oregon on the WICHE Commission.
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