Adria Buchanan Joins Clover Park Technical College Board of Trustees

By Jenn Adrien

Governor Jay Inslee has confirmed Adria Buchanan to the Clover Park Technical College Board of Trustees. Buchanan’s term began on November 8, 2024, and she joined her first meeting on November 13, 2024. She fills the seat formerly held by Carol Mitchell.

Buchanan grew up in Gig Harbor. She earned her bachelor of arts from Dartmouth College in 2008, just at the height of the recession, when it was very difficult to find any kind of work in the United States. This led her to her first job in Bangalore, India, which turned out to be the experience of a lifetime. Upon returning to the U.S. in 2009, she entered the corporate world but Buchanan still longed for the community development work she had done while in India.

After a few years, she left corporate America and entered graduate school at the University of Delaware to further her studies in Urban Affairs and Public Policy. Upon graduating in 2015, she started her own consulting business to help local governments pursue community development initiatives.

The Executive Director for Fair Housing Center since 2019, she dedicates herself to creating inclusive communities free of housing discrimination in western and central Washington and beyond. The non-profit focuses on advocacy, education, complaint investigation, and community development planning. As Executive Director of a civil rights organization, the challenges Buchanan faces have direct links to the systems of oppression inherent in American life.

“My passion is at the intersection of compliance and community. Becoming a trustee at Clover Park Technical College is a good culmination of my experience,” Buchanan said during introductory remarks at her first meeting. “As a working, single parent, I know firsthand the difficult decisions people have to make to find balance between education, family, and career. There is a lot we can do as trustees to support students as they transition into life after college.”

“Our newest trustee, Adria Buchanan, joins our work during a transformative time for higher education,” said Dr. Joyce Loveday, Clover Park President. “Her commitment to addressing systems of oppression will add fresh energy as our college continues to make progress toward our strategic goals.”

See the full list of CPTC trustees, past meeting minutes , and upcoming meeting information on the CPTC trustees webpage.