Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Accomplishments
Languages
Professional
Awards
Certification
Hobbies and Interests
Timeline
Generic

Zefire Skoczen

Seattle,WA

Summary

I am passionate about Renton Technical College's mission, empowering diverse students to make their lives better. With twenty years of experience as the Program Director in a Healthcare field and over a year of experience as the Dean of Healthcare Programs at Renton Technical College, I understand the unique needs to support healthcare programs, such as maintaining accreditation, continuing to build clinical sites, and training safe, skilled healthcare practitioners.

I am an educational leader with a proven track record in academic administration and faculty development. Known for fostering collaborative environment and driving institutional success. Reliable and adaptable, consistently focused on achieving high standards and results.

I will provide the Allied Health department with innovative, strong leadership and support, for the students, faculty, staff, and programs.

Overview

21
21
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification

Work History

Interim Dean of Healthcare Programs

Renton Technical College
07.2025 - Current
  • Provide leadership and administrative oversight for the college’s Health and Human Services Programs that ensures consistency with current, changing and future needs of students and the community.
  • Manage, evaluate and modify the operation of the courses, classes and special programs/projects to maintain or improve instructional quality and to assure adherence to standards.
  • Work with faculty and industry to maintain accreditation
  • Served as an advocate for departmental needs by effectively communicating with upper-level administration, securing resources necessary for continuous growth and improvement.
  • Manage 11 programs with 1-2 budgets each, 1-3 sections, and 1-10 faculty and staff each
  • Manage the clinical placement team
  • Address about 30 emails, calls, and meetings a day

Tenured Faculty Program Manager, Massage Therapy

Renton Technical College
09.2004 - Current

Supervised Guest Teachers, students, student clinic

  • Maintain accreditation
  • Create/modify accessible Instructional design
  • Team-teach in Flex/Hybrid with best practices to help adult student learners succeed
  • Conduct appropriate and frequent assessment of student performance and provide feedback so students are aware of their performance throughout the quarter
  • Provide accommodations and accessible instruction in accordance with guidelines determined by Disability Resource Services
  • Participate on tenure committees
  • Participate on hiring committees
  • Participate on the Accessibility Committee
  • Maintain and update existing course/program curriculum and program revisions as the premiere massage school leading the industry
  • Conduct outcomes assessments
  • Increased program caps from 16-23 over the years
  • Maintain 90-100% completion rates

Dean of Healthcare Programs

Renton Technical College
01.2014 - 01.2015
  • Provide leadership and administrative oversight for the college’s Health and Human Services Programs that ensures consistency with current, changing and future needs of students and the community.
  • Manage, evaluate and modify the operation of the programs, classes, and special programs/projects to maintain or improve instructional quality and to assure adherence to standards and accreditation.
  • Assist with planning, program and goal development for instructional and campus programs/services that supports the college’s mission and operational/strategic goals and in accordance with adopted budgets.
  • Assist instructors with recruiting and placing students
  • Establish and maintain effective and involved advisory committees for each preparatory program.
  • Supervise and mentor faculty and staff.
  • Demonstrate multicultural competence and create an educational and work environment that affirms commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Education

Master’s Degree - Traditional Chinese Medicine

NW Institute of Acupuncture And Oriental Medicine
Seattle, WA
01.2003

Massage Certification -

New Mexico Academy of Healing Arts
Santa Fe
01.1991

Skills

  • Faculty communication
  • Adaptability and flexibility
  • Relationship building
  • Academic administration knowledge
  • Faculty support, collaboration, and development
  • Strategic planning
  • School policies and protocols
  • Planning and coordination
  • Problem-solving
  • Attention to detail
  • Multitasking Abilities
  • Active listening
  • Effective communication and follow through

Accomplishments

  • Maintained stability of classrooms and labs by working with upper management, facilities and faculty with strategic advocacy, speed, team communication and follow through (rather than displacing three labs and two classrooms over an elevator issue).
  • Achieved highest number of evening Medical Assistant Students and running a section that was at risk of not running through effectively working with the faculty, outreach team, communications, and marketing and making fast changes.
  • Resolved serious issues with an accreditation report through strategic work with faculty, staff, administration, and industry advisory committee.
  • Deployed zero cost A/C solution in Surg Tech labs.
  • Ensure that students educational and licensing needs are met during the sunsetting of two healthcare programs.
  • Support faculty with student issues such as AI policy violation.
  • Improve invoice receipt process to establish best practices as the healthcare budget authorizing authority.
  • Establish weekly meetings for faculty and staff support where needed.
  • Help faculty and staff grieve and process the sudden loss of a Dean who was serving the department for 10 years.

Languages

Spanish
Limited Working

Professional

  • Serve on RTC Tenure Committees, 2007 – present
  • Serve on dozens of RTC hiring committees, 2007-present
  • Serve on RTC councils including Accessibility and Technology, 2007-present
  • Councils have varied over the years and are not always active
  • Attend annual RTC Faculty In-Service days, 2004 – present
  • Part of pilot IPID (Inclusive Pedagogy Instructional Designer), 2019-2022
  • The Scholarship of Teaching of Learning (SoTL) Institute, summer 2018
  • Participate in Executive Timeslice Technology Assessment of RTC, 2013
  • Collaborate in the Yes-We-Can-Canvas Faculty Learning Community (FLC), 2012-2013
  • Faculty In-Service Committee, RTC, 2010-2013
  • Safe Zones Ally for LGBTQ students, Fall 2013
  • Close Captioning Pilot Project, Spring/Summer 2013
  • Best Practices Innovations Grant, Spring 2009-2010

Awards

Renton Technical College Exceptional Employee Award, 2024, Ahead of the Class, Renton Teacher of the Year, 2016, Renton Technical College Exceptional Employee Award, 2013

Certification


  • Professional-Technical Faculty Certification, SBCTC 2004 - 2027


Hobbies and Interests

Time with my kids, gardening, beekeeping, cooking

Timeline

Interim Dean of Healthcare Programs

Renton Technical College
07.2025 - Current

Dean of Healthcare Programs

Renton Technical College
01.2014 - 01.2015

Tenured Faculty Program Manager, Massage Therapy

Renton Technical College
09.2004 - Current

Master’s Degree - Traditional Chinese Medicine

NW Institute of Acupuncture And Oriental Medicine

Massage Certification -

New Mexico Academy of Healing Arts

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