BBCC welcomes new Vice President of Finance and Administration

Big Bend Community College (BBCC) has announced the hiring of Linda Schoonmaker as Vice President for Finance and Administration.

Schoonmaker was Vice President for Finance and Administration at Clover Park Technical College near Tacoma before accepting the position at Big Bend. She also has served as Director of Accounting Services for the Washington State Board of Community and Technical Colleges in Olympia.

Schoonmaker succeeds Gail Hamburg, who retired in June after 16 years at BBCC.

Schoonmaker served as a state auditor in Washington and a tax auditor in Oregon. She also served as administrative services manager for the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services in the Financial Services Administration.  She is a Washington certified public accountant.

Schoonmaker holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Accounting from the University of North Carolina and a Master’s of Business Administration from the University of Washington.

“Linda understands the state’s community college system better than anyone we interviewed for the position,” said BBCC President Terry Leas. “She is an acknowledged expert in Washington two-year college finances, and we will need her expertise as we confront the challenges that lie ahead.”

One of Schoonmaker’s responsibilities will be to ensure the Professional Technical Education Center (PTEC) project moves forward. Big Bend is first on the two-year college system’s capital projects list to receive pre-design money for a $35 million building that will be the largest capital project in BBCC’s history.

“Linda’s familiarity with our state’s capital project system and processes will be very beneficial to our college’s efforts to construct needed facilities for our professional/technical programs,” Leas said.