2012 Commencement
Saturday, May 5, 2012
2:00 p.m. (doors open at 1:00 p.m.)
Anyone requiring special seating should arrive no later than 1:30 p.m.
Salem Armory Auditorium
2320 17th Street NE
Salem, OR 97309
Tickets are required to attend
Commencement Speaker
Mike McLaran
Mike is President of McLaran Enterprises and invests much of his time in education issues in Oregon. He serves as the Strategic Planning Officer for the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce and also provides legislative and administrative services to the Oregon State Chamber. Mike is asked frequently to facilitate strategic planning sessions and provide consultation for businesses and not for profit organizations. He uses his experience in business, organizational management and team building to move organizations to new levels of excellence.
Mike McLaran served as a CEO of Chambers in Oregon for over twenty-two years. For over sixteen years, he headed the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce and has also served as President of the Oregon State Chamber of Commerce. In 2007, Mike received the Russel E. Pettit Memorial Excellence in Leadership Award for exemplary professionalism and contributions to other chambers of commerce from the Western Association of Chamber Executives (WACE) which represents 18 states in the Western United States.
In July 8, 2009, Mike received the Vern Miller Distinguished Service Award from the City of Salem for his long-term leadership and positive impact on numerous projects and efforts in the city. He is currently a member of the Salem Downtown Rotary Club and on the board of the Healthy Communities Initiative. Mike has served as a Trustee on the Salem Hospital Board and as a director on the boards of the Salem Leadership Foundation and the Cascade Pacific Council of the Boy Scouts of America. In 2004 he was recognized by the Scouts with a Distinguished Citizen Award. Mike has also served twice as the campaign chairman for United Way. He has been and continues to be involved in numerous committees, task forces and advisory councils. He was recognized as the Oregon Chamber Executive of the Year in 1997 and Albany’s Jr. First Citizen in 1993.
Mike is a graduate of the University of Oregon in the field of Business Management and also a graduate of the UCLA Institute for Organization Management. Mike’s son Chris is a graduate of Western Baptist (Corban University) and his daughter Katie a graduate of the University of Oregon and Pacific University. Mike and his wife Diane stay very involved in various community issues and projects, lead a young couples community group through their church Salem Alliance and when not working also enjoy traveling and spending time with their five soon to be six grandchildren.
