U.S. Air Force veteran to serve as Edmonds CC associate vice president

Edmonds Community College has hired a 24-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force to serve as the college’s Associate Vice President of Human Resources.

Dennis Curran

Retired Colonel Dennis Curran’s first day in his new role was Monday, July 18. Curran formerly served as the USAF Human Resources deputy vice president at its headquarters in Virginia.

“Dennis has demonstrated his commitment to employing a diverse workforce and sees education as one of the best means for transforming student lives,” Edmonds CC President Dr. Jean Hernandez said.

Curran said a diverse workforce encompasses more than what it might look like.

“A lot of people think it’s just what’s on the outside,” he said, “but I think a lot of it is what’s on the inside, too.

“It’s people with a lot of different backgrounds and experiences and different ways of looking at life and situations. It can be anything from different cultures to different religions to varied life experiences, from people who have lived in the same home their whole life to people who have lived all over the world.”

Curran believes the college’s workforce should reflect the diversity of the country and the diversity of thought in the country.

He brings 16 years of experience in human resources with him to Edmonds CC, along with leadership and program management skills he learned while in the military.

He also has experience with innovations in the field of human resources, like using technology to “bring programs into the 21st century.”

“There’s a lot of things we can do with technology to make human resources more efficient, more effective, and more innovative,” Curran said. “It’s also about how we manage our processes, how we do things, and how we make decisions at the college.

“I think we can be more innovative in how we are managing and running a lot of our personnel programs and processes.”

Curran holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from St. Mary’s College of California, a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas, and an MBA from the Naval Postgraduate School.

He also has expertise in the areas of recruitment, hiring, policy development, compliance with federal regulations, human capital strategic planning, appraisal systems, labor relations, and organizational change management.

Curran grew up on the West Coast and said he is excited to return to “the best coast” with his wife and family.

“I’m really excited to be here,” he said. “There’s a lot of energy and enthusiasm to help the students and to make students successful, and I’m excited to be a part of that.”