Oregon Community College Association

What Oregon Community College Association does

The Oregon Community College Association (OCCA) is a non-profit membership association founded in 1962 that represents all 17 publicly chartered Oregon community colleges. Headquartered in Salem, Oregon with a small professional staff of approximately five to six, OCCA functions as the unified sector voice before the Oregon State Legislature, the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC), and other state agencies, coordinating biennial budget advocacy that most recently secured $854.4 million in state funding for the 2025-2027 biennium. Its core functions include legislative and policy advocacy, governance support, professional development, and cross-college coordination on shared initiatives such as student success, equity, and undocumented/DACA student resources.

OCCA's product surface centers on member services rather than commercial technology products. Key offerings include the Board Policy Service (developed in partnership with the Community College League of California and Liebert Cassidy Whitmore), the Student Success Center, the Oregon Executive Leadership Academy for college presidents and senior leaders, conferences (including the 2026 event at Sunriver Resort), webinars and Lunch & Learn programming (including sessions with the Ford Family Foundation), and analytic publications such as the 2023 Economic Impact Study produced with Lightcast. It also coordinates the Campus Advocacy Coordinator program, which mobilizes board members and college staff for legislative engagement, and supports emerging applied baccalaureate programs including the Bachelor of Applied Science in Education (BASE) degree scheduled for Fall 2027 rollout at five member colleges.

OCCA's business model is a non-profit membership dues model: the 17 publicly chartered Oregon community colleges are dues-paying members, supplemented by program fees, sponsorships, grants (e.g., the Ford Family Foundation), and revenue from professional development and governance services. Because every publicly chartered Oregon community college is a member, OCCA operates as the exclusive sector association within its defined market. The association holds no proprietary technology platform of note; its "infrastructure" is institutional relationships, policy expertise, and coordination across the 17 member institutions and their boards and presidents.

Name

Oregon Community College Association

Legal name

Oregon Community College Association

Website

https://occa17.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Oregon Community College Association (OCCA), founded in 1962, is a non-profit membership association representing all 17 publicly chartered Oregon community colleges. It delivers legislative advocacy, policy coordination, governance support, and professional development services to member colleges, their boards, and presidents from its Salem, Oregon headquarters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

Keywords

• Education policy advocacy
• Community college association
• Higher education governance
• Professional development
• Legislative coordination

Headquarters

HQ city

Salem

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: OCCA operates as a membership association funded by dues from 17 member community colleges. Membership includes access to Board Policy Service program, professional development, advocacy coordination, and legislative representation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

OCCA is a nonprofit membership association that advocates on behalf of Oregon's 17 publicly chartered community colleges before state and federal policymakers. It delivers a coordinated set of services to its member colleges, including legislative representation, policy analysis, governance training (public meeting law certification), professional development for board members and presidents (Oregon Executive Leadership Academy, Lunch & Learn webinars), the Board Policy and Procedure Program, statewide student success coordination (Guided Pathways, Corequisite Supports), and annual conferences/events.

Product overview

The Oregon Community College Association (OCCA) operates as a membership association providing a coordinated set of programs and services for Oregon's 17 community colleges. Its core offerings include policy and governance support through the Board Policy and Procedure Program (developed with the Community College League of California and Liebert Cassidy Whitmore), statewide student success coordination via the Student Success Center, and professional development through the Oregon Executive Leadership Academy and monthly Lunch & Learn webinars. The association also organizes major annual events including the OCCA Annual Conference (with Howard Cherry Awards), Board Leadership & Governance Summit, and Legislative Summit. Additional services include the All-Oregon Academic Team recognition program and Economic Impact Studies providing data on community college contributions. OCCA functions as a coordinating and advocacy body rather than a technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• $9.6 billion economic impact driven by Oregon's community colleges (FY 2021-22)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• LightcastcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Conducted the 2023 Economic Impact Study showing $9.6 billion economic impact of Oregon community colleges based on FY 2021-2022 data.
• American Association of Community Colleges (AACC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1962OCCA is a member of AACC, which provides national representation and resources for community colleges. AACC is the primary national organization advocating for community colleges.
• Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1962OCCA is a member of ACCT, which provides governance resources and national advocacy support for community college trustees.
• American Association of Women in Community Colleges (AAWCC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1962OCCA is a member of AAWCC, supporting women leaders in community colleges.
• Oregon School Boards Association (OSBA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1962OCCA is a member of OSBA, providing collaboration on education governance issues in Oregon.
• Community College League of California (League)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with League provides OCCA member colleges access to the national board policy and procedure program with over 370 BP and AP samples, legal updates, and implementation workshops.
• Liebert Cassidy WhitmorecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLaw firm partner in the Board Policy and Procedure Program, providing legal expertise on community college governance and policy matters.
• The Ford Family FoundationsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with The Ford Family Foundation and Education Northwest to present Lunch & Learn on 'Data, Belonging, and Student Voice: Improving Outcomes for Rural Young Men'
• Education NorthwestsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with OCCA to present professional development webinar on rural student outcomes in community colleges.
• Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOCCA works closely with HECC on community college funding, policy coordination, and statewide higher education initiatives.
• Office of Community Colleges and Workforce Development (CCWD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOCCA coordinates with CCWD, which is responsible for coordination and leadership for Oregon's 17 community colleges, adult basic skills providers, and career technical education.
• Oregon Student Assistance CommissionsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerOCCA collaborates with the Commission on student financial aid and assistance programs.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Education Northwest: Pacific Northwest-based nonprofit education research and consulting organization. Partnered with OCCA on Lunch & Learn webinars covering rural student outcomes and adjacent topics in community college education.
• Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society: National honor society for community college students. OCCA runs the All-Oregon Academic Team under PTK's umbrella, making PTK a partner in student recognition programming across 38 states.
• Oregon School Boards Association (OSBA): Oregon statewide K-12 school board association, formally allied with OCCA. Provides comparable member-services, governance training, and advocacy support for a parallel but separate constituency.
• Higher Education Coordinating Commission (Oregon HECC): Oregon's state higher education coordinating body. While a government agency rather than an association, HECC is OCCA's closest policy and funding counterpart — jointly administering community college coordination.

Broad incumbents

• American Association of Community Colleges (AACC): The national association for community colleges, of which OCCA is a member. AACC provides national advocacy and resources; OCCA operates as the state-level chapter with parallel mission and structure.
• Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT): National organization representing community college governing boards. OCCA is a member of ACCT and conducts parallel governance training and trustee advocacy work at the state level.
• American Association of Women in Community Colleges (AAWCC): National organization supporting women leaders in community colleges. OCCA is a member of AAWCC and supports parallel women-leader programming within Oregon's 17 colleges.

Direct peers

• Community College League of California: The California counterpart to OCCA — a state-level association of community colleges providing advocacy, policy support, and Board Policy services. Explicitly identified as a core partner of OCCA on the Board Policy and Procedure Program.
• League for Innovation in the Community College: Community college professional development and innovation consortium serving member colleges with leadership programs, conferences, and best-practice resources — directly comparable to OCCA's Oregon Executive Leadership Academy and conference programming.
• Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges: State coordinating body for Washington's community and technical colleges, providing policy coordination, advocacy, and system-level leadership — directly comparable to OCCA's role for Oregon's 17 colleges.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ORCommColleges
• Facebookfacebook.com/OregonCommunityCollegeAssociation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/oregon-community-college-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Oregon Community College Association