CORVALLIS, Ore. – Dr. Cynthia Pemberton, President of Lewis-Clark State College, has been selected as Chair-Elect for the Council of Presidents (CoP), the Cascade Collegiate Conference announced Thursday.
Pemberton was selected at the CoP winter meeting held on January 10 and will assume chair duties in the spring of 2024 serving for a two-year period. Pemberton will succeed the Current chair, Dr. Joe Womack, president of Bushnell University who will complete his term at that time. As chair, she will also represent the CCC as the league representative on the NAIA Council of Presidents.
When asked about the new position, Pemberton expressed how she is honored to serve and support the schools and sports through this leadership opportunity. “LC State is proud to be a member of the Cascade Collegiate Conference,” she stated. “Thanks to the good work of our Council of Presidents and current Council of Presidents Chair, Dr. Joe Womack, the chair-elect position will provide an opportunity for me to shadow strong leadership, and ultimately move forward seamlessly on behalf of the Conference.”
Originally from Medford, Ore., Pemberton earned her B.S. degree in biology and psychology from Willamette University in Salem, Ore., in 1980, and later earned her master’s in interdisciplinary studies: physical education, psychology, and nutrition at Southern Oregon State College (University). She received her Ed.D. in education leadership at Portland State University.
"It is a pleasure working with Dr. Pemberton as a member of the CoP and I look forward to her term as chair," stated commissioner Robert Cashell. "Her background as a standout collegiate student-athlete, coach, and athletics administrator before her ascending to the executive leadership roles she has held on campus will serve our conference well."
Only the third female president in the history of Idaho’s four-year public institutions, Pemberton becomes just the second female Chair of the CCC CoP, joining Warner Pacific University President Dr. Andrea Cook, who served for several years prior to her retirement.