Continuous Learning for Individuals, Management & Business

Having been with Portland Community College since 1999, Carolyn Waterfall has taught a wide variety of highly experiential and fun courses designed to enhance leadership, management and communication skills.

Orientations offered by PCC’s Small Business Development Center (at no cost!) are a great way to learn about the opportunities we offer to help turn  business ideas into action. A typical orientation includes a small group of future entrepreneurs – but may also include sole-proprietors and small business owners seeking to find efficient, practical and effective solutions to common business-related challenges. You’ll leave our 2-hour orientation having identified new resources, and with an action plan to guide your next steps.

Sean Harry has been with PCC's Small Business Development Center for the last eight and a half years. Before that, he helped budding entrepreneurs turn their hobbies into small businesses. He has started four small businesses and is always excited to share his experiences and the experiences from the many small businesses he has advised.

Grants are funds offered to companies, non-profits, and other organizations to help these groups reach their goals. For some organizations, grant money accounts for most or all of their operating budgets. Needless to say, it is essential for them to do their best to win these funds, which do not have to be paid back.

Hallie Puncochar has taught Computer Applications at Rock Creek for ten years. Before that, Hallie was a Global Account Specialist with a trims manufacturer that served major apparel giants such as Nike, Adidas, Columbia Sportswear, and Kroger. After a competitor acquired the parent company, Puncochar pursued a Master’s in Teaching. She found training others so enjoyable that, soon after graduation, she applied and was hired to teach at PCC. Learn more about the instructor for Technology Professional Development below.

With an extensive background in education, healthcare, and sales, Sheila Meserschmidt has been serving as the Director of the Institute for Health Professionals for 10 years. Her experience helps her to serve the department as it continues to grow to match the demand of the respective industries in Portland. Here she will share more about the upcoming programs, who can benefit from them, and more.

Although hospitals and other medical institutions are heavily associated with nurses and doctors, several other health professionals, such as sterile processing technicians, are critical for delivering quality healthcare to patients in a safe, efficient manner.

Mediation has become a popular alternative to standard legal actions such as arbitration or lawsuits, especially in business. This is because litigation has many downsides: expenses, hostility, and the likely ending of relationships. Even if a dispute is against a friend or family member, the adversarial nature of litigation will replace any previous good feelings with hostile ones.

PCC's Integrated Community Dental Assisting program (ICDA) has been working hard to help fill the demand for dental assistants in our community. Success and satisfaction has been experienced by the first two cohorts of students, within their externship dental offices and sponsors. We're accepting applicants to our next cohort, beginning with an orientation in January. Keep reading to learn more!