Faimous Harrison
About
Dr. Faimous Harrison is an accomplished higher education executive, educator, and scholar whose 35-year career has been dedicated to expanding access to high-quality learning, strengthening student success pathways, and advancing mission-driven institutional excellence. With a professional journey that spans community colleges, regional universities, research institutions, and national organizations, Dr. Harrison brings a comprehensive, practitioner-scholar perspective to the evolving landscape of higher education.
Dr. Harrison currently serves as District President of Wenatchee Valley College (WVC), a Minority-Serving and Hispanic-Serving Institution located in rural Washington State. He leads a multi-campus district committed to meeting the educational, cultural, and workforce needs of communities spanning more than 10,000 square miles. As the district’s chief executive officer, Dr. Harrison oversees all academic and student support divisions, institutional planning, strategic enrollment management, accreditation, fiscal stewardship, capital development, and community-centered initiatives. Under his leadership, WVC continues to strengthen its institutional identity; advance its mission, vision, and guiding principles; enhance financial solvency and organizational resilience; and cultivate a culture of inclusive excellence where students, faculty, and staff can thrive.
Dr. Harrison’s expertise in educational leadership is grounded in student-centered practice across the P–20 continuum and cradle-to-career framework. His work emphasizes the delivery of high-quality instructional programs through multimodal learning environments and comprehensive, holistic wraparound services that meet the needs of students, residents, employers, and the broader community. Prior to joining WVC, he served as Campus Dean and Chief Executive Officer of the California State University, Stanislaus Stockton Campus. In that role, he oversaw academic programs across four colleges, expanded integrated student services, strengthened community-based learning initiatives, and elevated the campus’s role within one of the nation’s most diverse metropolitan regions. The Stockton Campus provided affordable and accessible short-term credentials, workforce training and retooling opportunities, and traditional and accelerated undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
In addition, Dr. Harrison served as Senior Advisor for the Community Equity Research Center, where he led cross-sector partnerships connecting faculty, students, and community organizations in collaborative research to advance health, education, and socieconomic outcomes in underserved communities.
Earlier in his career, Dr. Harrison held senior leadership roles at Central Washington University, where he oversaw three university centers, regional enrollment strategies, instructional partnerships with community colleges, and workforce-aligned program development. His work focused on expanding access for place-bound, first-generation, and adult learners through the development of flexible learning modalities, including hybrid, online, accelerated, and competency-based programs.
Dr. Harrison spent more than fifteen years as a faculty member in health, wellness, and behavioral sciences at Edmonds College and Seattle Colleges. He also taught graduate-level courses in educational leadership and organizational management as a lecturer and guest speaker at the university level. His time in the classroom—engaging with students, supporting them, and challenging them to reach their goals—has been among his most rewarding experiences in the academy. Dr. Harrison’s teaching career strengthened his commitment to student-centered pedagogy, interdisciplinary learning, and the importance of connecting curriculum to real-world application. He has designed and delivered courses across multiple instructional modalities and has consistently advocated for culturally responsive, evidence-based teaching practices. While serving in a dual role as both faculty member and administrator, Dr. Harrison was voted by students and peers as Student Services Administrator of the Year and Lifetime Administrator of the Year for two consecutive years. These honors remain among his proudest accomplishments outside the classroom, alongside participating in commencement ceremonies and advancing student-centered initiatives.
At the national level, Dr. Harrison has contributed to scholarship and practice in higher education through his leadership in the National Association of Branch Campus Administrators, where he served as President, Vice President, twice as Research Division Chair, and eleven years on the research committee. He has presented internationally and led studies focused on educational delivery systems, regional access models, and organizational leadership.
Dr. Harrison holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration and Leadership from Oregon State University, a Master of Science with an emphasis in Physical Education, Pedagogy, and Leadership from Seattle Pacific University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Washington. His leadership philosophy, grounded in purpose-driven, transformational servant leadership, continues to guide his lifelong commitment to advancing educational opportunity, institutional equity, and student success.
