Paul Chiles
Students, faculty, and staff paid tribute to Paul Chiles on Jan. 23 as he stepped down after 10 years of service as a member of the Bellevue College Board of Trustees.
Chiles helped the college win the Charles Kennedy Equity Award in 2005 from the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT). The award recognizes “exemplary commitment by a community college governing board and its chief executive officer to achieve equity in the college’s education programs and services, and in the administration and delivery of those programs and services.” During his tenure, the college won four other national awards that acknowledged the extraordinary efforts the college made in advancing pluralism.
Chiles directed the college to begin a program to increase supplier diversity in 2010. By September 2013, the college had established over 10 vendor partnerships and awarded 12 competitive bids to minority- and women-owned businesses, raising the college’s ranking to second in the state. (end)