Steve Hanson voted new president of Renton Technical College

The Renton Technical College trustees appointed interim president Steve Hanson as the permanent president Tuesday.

Hanson brings about 36 years of community college experience to the position.

"Steve is just a marvelous individual," said Board of Trustees chair Ronnie Behnke. "For someone who was hired only for an interim position, he took ownership and followed through."

Hanson accepted a $175,000 salary with 30 days of vacation, Behnke said.

He replaces Don Bressler, whose August firing outraged community leaders. There has been little opposition to Hanson.

Kirby Unti, who was appointed trustee Dec. 9, cast the lone "no" vote in the 3-1 decision.

"I think Hanson will make an excellent president," Unti said. "I was just inviting the group to do a longer process."

He hoped to show the community due diligence by interviewing other candidates, though he knows there was a risk of losing Hanson, he said.

Six other community and technical colleges in the area are now looking for a president, Behnke said.

"The risk appeared to be greater than the board was willing to take," Unti said. "I understand the board felt a sense of urgency."

Unti hoped by lengthening the process, the board might restore the community's relationship with the college.

Before interviewing Hanson Tuesday, the board held eight forums early December.

While the student forum was packed, only six people attended the community forum, Behnke said.

"If they were interested, they should have been there," she said. "We did our due diligence by putting out the invitation."

Hanson was pleased that the decision wasn't delayed, because the college can now move on, he said.

"The next phase will be working with the board in terms of strategic directions with the college," he said. "A lot of ideas have been generated from people."

Among the ideas are starting a student government, strengthening the foreign exchange program and looking into hiring a part-time grant writer.

Hanson also plans to start the school's budget process in January, though the school won't know how much the budget will be reduced until May.

"That will be a big part of what we need to work on in the next few months," he said. "The state has a huge problem to deal with."

Hanson served as the Spokane Community College president for four years before retiring in 2007. Spokane is similar to Renton in its heavy emphasis on work-related education.

He also worked at Edmonds Community College from 1982-2003, where he moved up the ranks from a dean to the executive vice president of public instruction.

He has a home in Lynnwood with wife Melanie Tait, a third-grade teacher in the Edmonds School District. They have three children, all grown.

Before accepting the interim position, he helped plan the implementation of a six-year, multimillion-dollar grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to reduce family homelessness in Snohomish County.

Contact Renton Reporter Staff Writer Celeste Gracey at cgracey@rentonreporter.com or 425-255-3484, ext. 5052.

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