College hires new president

Gary Tollefson is president elect at Skagit Valley College. He replaces George Smith, who has served as interim president for the past nine months.

Tollefson has held a variety of positions at Yakima Valley Community College, including vice president for instruction and student’s services, dean of arts and sciences, associate dean for business and vocational technologies and director of admission. During his tenure at YVCC, he developed two successful Title III grants and a Title V Hispanic serving institutions grant.

He has a bachelors and masters degree from Western Washington University and an Ed.D. in educational leadership from Seattle University.

No start date has been determined for Tollefson.

 

Management students shine at conference

Business management students from Skagit Valley College did better than any other school at the statewide Delta Epsilon Chi Career Development Conference in Everett in February. Eleven colleges from all over Washington competed in case study analyses involving diverse disciplines, ranging from apparel and accessories marketing to Web design.

First place trophies went to Laina McNichols of Mount Vernon in the sales representative category, Shoko Saji of Tokyo and Robbie Andersen of Bellingham for international marketing, and Tiffany Rose of Sedro-Woolley in the human resources category.

Eighteen students qualified for the national Delta Epsilon Chi conference in Orlando, Fla., beginning Apr. 12.

 

Fellers joins Crosswinds

Ken Fellers is the new host and catering manager at Crosswinds Restaurant and Lounge. He has 20 years experience in the restaurant and hospitality industry. In the early 1990s, he was restaurant and catering manager at LaConner Seafood and Prime Rib House and in the mid 1990s, he ran his own restaurant. For the past five years, he has been a restaurant consultant.

Crosswinds is at the Skagit Regional airport.

 

Peoples Bank makes staffing changes

Peoples Bank promoted two people to vice president.

Jennifer Thompson is now assistant vice president and real estate loan officer. She has been with Peoples for two years and has 14 years experience in banking. Thompson lives in Shelter Bay and is active in the homeowners’ association in the community.

Dennis Boe was promoted to vice president from his previous position as real estate loan manager. He has 19 years experience in banking and has been with Peoples since 1996, when he helped open in the Mount Vernon home loan center. Boe is a fourth generation Skagitonian and is secretary of the Skagit emergency medical services council.

 

US Bank moves two in Mount Vernon

Jorge Alvarez and Melanie Eidsness are on the move at US Bank in Mount Vernon.

Alvarez is the new branch manager at US Bank in Mount Vernon. He joined US Bank in 1996 as a personal banking officer in Bellingham. Alvarez has an associate’s degree from Green River Community College.

Eidsness is now sales and service manager in Mount Vernon. She began as a teller with the bank in Anacortes in 1998. Eidsness will assist in training branch staff.