Greg Pereira remembers his parents attended Clackamas Community College in order to better provide for their family in Milwaukie. His father, an immigrant from Brazil, worked as a dishwasher and his mother, who grew up in Oregon, was a house cleaner.
With the help of community college, his parents landed better-paying jobs in the medical sector. It made a lasting impression on their son.
“I saw firsthand what it’s like to see your parents come out of that cycle of poverty,” Pereira said.
Pereira, 40, is set to become the next president of Central Oregon Community College this summer, July 1. The current president, Laurie Chesley, is retiring after six years, helping the college navigate the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pereira will lead the school through yet another period of uncertainty for higher education as the Trump administration attempts to dismantle federal agencies like the Department of Education.
Last year, the regional community college served over 12,000 students across its campuses in Bend, Madras, Redmond and Prineville, along with specialized satellite programs.
COCC Board Chair Laura Craska Cooper said Pereira, their first pick candidate, stood out because of his experience working in nonprofits, with diverse communities and in a variety of roles at Rio Salado College, a community college based in Tempe, Arizona.
Pereira said he found his passion for helping people while working in homeless services on Skid Row in Los Angeles and then Central Arizona. Graduated from Azusa Pacific University in California, he found his career calling when he realized education was the key to helping his clients.
“It doesn’t have to be a degree. It can be workforce training. It can be a great apprenticeship, it could be a number of things,” said Pereira, “but you really can’t escape poverty without education in some way.”
When Pereira was recruited for the position, he said he was blown away by COCC’s programming and its values.
The school has a robust diversity-and-inclusion department. Pereira and Craska Cooper have committed to maintaining equity and belonging efforts for the campus community.
“It’s making sure that everybody has access, because fundamentally that’s what a community college is about — access,” said Craska Cooper.
Copyright 2025 OPB.
This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.