Columbia Gorge Community College board directors have named Dr. Kenneth Lawson to become the institution’s next president.  He is expected to assume the office on August 1.  The board made the decision during its meeting on Wednesday.  Lawson is currently the vice president of instruction at Skagit Valley College in Mt. Vernon, and has been in that role since 2013.  His community college experience began as an adjunct faculty in basic education.  Lawson’s career has included serving as a full-time faculty and dean of the Social Sciences/Equity and Social Justice division at Shoreline Community College, and dean for the Humanities and Social Sciences at Seattle Central College, before taking on his current position at Skagit Valley.  Lawson has a doctorate in political science from the University of Washington, and a Master of Arts and Bachelor of Science in political science from the University of Utah.