Submitted by Whatcom Community College
Gov. Jay Inslee has appointed Bellingham resident and retired business executive John Pedlow to Whatcom Community College’s Board of Trustees. Pedlow began his five-year term Dec. 15, 2015. He replaces local business owner Chuck Robinson on the five-member board. Robinson’s term expired in December, and he is stepping down after a decade of service to the College.
The trustees are appointed by the governor and serve five-year terms and/or until their successors are appointed, and must reside within the College’s district boundaries. The board’s duties include setting the College’s strategic direction, establishing policy for the College, awarding tenure, approving the operating budget and hiring the College president.
“We are extremely fortunate that John has been named to WCC’s Board of Trustees,” says current board chair Steve Adelstein. “His experience as a business leader and commitment to education and community will help us to further strengthen Whatcom’s reputation for excellence and innovation.”
Pedlow retired in 2008 as chief executive officer of Broadcast Electronics Inc., which is the largest radio-only broadcast equipment manufacturer in the United States. During his career, he was also vice president of Alpha Technologies North American Operations, president and CEO of Power West Inc., and vice president of Square D Corporation’s power protection system division. He has a bachelor’s degree in business from Widener University in Chester, Pa., and completed post-graduate work in law and business administration at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego. He and his wife, Joyce, moved from San Diego to Bellingham in 1996.
Pedlow is a member of the Rotary Club of Bellingham and serves on the board of directors of the Mount Baker Theatre and the Bellingham Angel Investors group. Prior to his appointment as a trustee, he served as a member of the WCC Foundation Board of Directors. He was a founding member of the America’s Cup 95 organization and the Bellingham Innovation Group (BIG) Idea Lab, an incubator for local entrepreneurs. He is a former board member of The Arc of Whatcom County and WQUB FM, a National Public Radio affiliate station.
Other members of WCC’s Board of Trustees are Steve Adelstein, attorney at law, Adelstein, Sharpe & Serka; Barbara Rofkar, counselor and mediator in private practice and with Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center as well as part-time faculty at Western Washington University; Sue Cole, brand marketing and communications consultant; and Tim Douglas, retired, former mayor of Bellingham.
