President’s Breakfast Honors the Past, Looks to the Future

More than 200 donors, business leaders, and corporate partners from Seattle and the Eastside recently came together for the Bellevue College Foundation’s annual President’s Breakfast. The event, emceed by Bellevue College’s new Vice President of Institutional Advancement and Executive Director of the Foundation Sean Marsh, is in its third year and was sponsored by Amazon and Microsoft. 

Under the theme, “60 Years Together: A Legacy of Impact, A Future of Promise,” the breakfast brought together the community to celebrate the college’s 60th anniversary while imagining what’s next for higher education. 

“Bellevue College has grown from a small, ambitious idea into the largest open access institution of higher education in the state,” Bellevue College Board of Trustee Chair Pradnya Desh said at the breakfast. “Over the decades, we have expanded programs, built new facilities, embraced new technologies, and adapted to the needs of a rapidly changing region. But, through it all, one thing has remained constant: our commitment to students.” 

Maria Villa-Wigfall, a 2002 Bellevue College alumna who studied business, the courage it took to move across the state to pursue independence and define her own path. It was a move that would change her life. She expressed her gratitude for the support she received at then-Bellevue Community College as a first-generation student. Today, not only does Villa-Wigfall have a successful career at Boeing, working in investment and entrepreneurship, but she’s giving back to the institution that allowed her to explore and define her future. 

“Through Bellevue College’s formal transfer program, I went on to Seattle University, where I earned degrees in accounting and finance, becoming the first woman in my family to graduate from a university,” she said, adding that she earned her MBA and plans to pursue a Ph.D. in the future. “Professors Leslie Lum and Judith Paquette, through their leadership with the Bellevue College Business Leadership Community,  have continued to inspire and engage students well beyond graduation. Today, I am proud to serve on the Bellevue College Foundation board, and we’ve launched the Alumni Council. Staying connected is not just something I value, but something I feel responsible for.”

Bellevue College President David May said the college’s history and growth alongside the City of Bellevue has been one of the main reasons the institution has been able to consistently “meet the moment in front of us,” attributing that to partnerships with local government, leading industries, and community organizations.  

“When the city stretched, the college stretched,” May said. “When the region changed, the college changed with it. We increased our emphasis in tech and healthcare without losing the core values of broad education.” 

May acknowledged current changes and transition happening across both the state and college, but also higher education as colleges grapple with the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI). As decisions, jobs, and skills change, May said the question for higher education is whether colleges will help shape AI’s impact so that it can expand access, protect dignity, and prepare students for a world that’s already here.  

“Community colleges sit at the center of the AI challenge,” May said. “We educate the workforce. We serve students at moments of transition. We are close to industry, but deeply accountable to people. That combination carries both opportunity and responsibility. AI presents one of those defining moments, and how the college responds will say a great deal about who benefits and who is left behind.” 

To speak about the future of a world with generative AI, keynote Mary Snapp, a senior fellow at Microsoft, closed out the breakfast with some stark statistics, yet offered hope for the future. 

According to early data, Snapp said AI fluency carries a 23% wage premium. 

“In fact, we believe that by 2030, AI fluency will be as essential as computer fluency was just 20 years ago,” she said. “Without broad diffusion of the technology, we could create the next digital divide.” 

 In Washington state, Microsoft research indicates that AI is already used by about 30% of the population in the counties alongside the Puget Sound. However, in seven rural counties in Eastern Washington, adoption is only about one third of that rate. 

“In one county, Ferry County, we only see 2.5% of the residents using AI, which is a tenfold gap within our own region,” Snapp said. “And, as we know, a technology gap means an opportunity gap. Not a talent gap, an opportunity gap.” 

Luckily, she said, there are programs and higher education institutions, such as Bellevue College, who are dedicated to open access education that prepares students with the skills and training to meet the demands of jobs in our region and state.  

“Washington state has been the home of innovation for more than a century,” Snapp said. “We have punched well above our weight, as the saying goes. From the first flight of a global aerospace giant to the rise of world leading technology programs and retail companies, we have been a launchpad for groundbreaking innovation.  

“Today with AI technologies, we stand at the forefront of another transformation, an AI transformation that will define the future of work, learning, and opportunity. To succeed, we need everyone’s help — business, government, nonprofit, and perhaps, most importantly, educators. And Bellevue College stands beyond ready to serve its region and partnership with others, and most importantly, students, as we embark on this journey.” 

In addition to Bellevue College’s Bachelor of Applied Science in Software Development with a concentration in artificial intelligence, the college encourages the responsible use of AI in learning, is partnering with the City of Bellevue as an AI test institution, and encourages innovation in its Strategic Plan, Mission and Vision.