November 01, 2017

Donna Henderson MA ’09 Named Director of Campus Safety

Alumna Donna Henderson will become the new director campus safety. She will start on November 13.

Vice President and Provost Jane Atkinson announced today that alumna Donna Henderson will become the new director campus safety. She will start on November 13. She brings three decades of experience with the Portland Police Bureau and City of Portland, including 15 years as a manager. She recently served as an assistant chief of investigations. Long focused on community building, Henderson received a masters of arts in counseling psychology from Lewis & Clark in 2009.

“I am pleased that Donna will be leading campus safety at Lewis & Clark. She is known as a strong, decisive, and caring leader. Her record reflects strong communication skills, effective team and morale building, and commitment to diversity and community engagement. I wish to thank the members of the search committee, led by Dean Anna Gonzalez, for their diligent work and insights throughout this intensive process,” said Atkinson.

“What interests me about returning to Lewis & Clark as a staff member is the emphasis on safety, collaboration, and supervision as opposed to simple enforcement,” said Henderson. “I have built my career on collaboration and community engagement. Over time I’ve had the opportunity to participate with the Alliance for Safer Communities (LGBTQ), Hispanic Round Table, and the Muslim Advisory Council, Slavic Advisory Council, among many other groups and organizations in Portland. During the on-campus interview process, I learned more than I already knew about this exceptional community, and I am excited to work with individuals and groups of students, staff, and faculty to ensure that Lewis & Clark is a safe place.”

In addition to her master’s degree from Lewis & Clark’s Graduate School of Education and Counseling, Henderson holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Portland State University in 1999. She is currently the liquor licensing program coordinator for the City of Portland.

This appointment concludes a search process begun earlier this year by the following committee members:

  • Anna Gonzalez (chair), dean of students

  • Adam Buchwald, associate vice president and chief information officer

  • David Carter, assistant dean of finance and administration

  • Julie Couch, campus safety officer

  • Joe-Barry Gardner, interim assistant director of campus living

  • Michel George, associate vice president for facilities

  • Mark Pietrok, senior associate athletic director

Henderson will take the position previously held by Tim O’Dwyer, who retired on September 1. Since that time, John Harvey has served as interim director of campus safety.