Shoreline Community College (Shoreline) welcomes Dr. Ryan Aiello as the new Vice President of Student Services. With an extensive background in higher education and a steadfast commitment to equity and inclusion, Aiello brings invaluable expertise and dedication to his new leadership role. “I am honored and grateful to be joining Dr. Kahn and the Shoreline team in its strategic efforts to change the dominant narrative to a culture that builds paths and bridges for all students, faculty, and staff,” said Aiello about his new role. Dr. Aiello will start with Shoreline on June 1, 2024. 

Originally from Southern California, Ryan has spent the past three years in Phoenix, Arizona, and now brings his wealth of experience to Shoreline. As a first-generation, low-income college student, Aiello earned his undergraduate degree in Psychology with a minor in Sociology from Washington State University (Pullman). He furthered his education by completing his Master’s graduate work in Counseling Psychology and earning his Doctor of Philosophy in Education & Leadership (Ph.D.) at Pacific University, with a focus on the experiences of faculty and staff of color in recruitment, retention, and campus climate at community colleges in the Pacific Northwest. “I see Shoreline as an institution with leadership that deeply wants to serve the surrounding community and shape education towards closing equity gaps that have hindered people who have been historically oppressed and discriminated against.” 

With over twenty-four years of experience in higher education, Aiello has served in Student Affairs roles at five distinct institutions, including Gateway Community College, Portland Community College, Pacific University, Eastern Washington University, and Washington State University. For the past two and a half years he has served as Dean of Student Engagement and Retention at Gateway Community College where he launched and moved Guided Pathways forward with curriculum redesign throughout the district, training around holistic approaches for Faculty and Academic Advisors, while implementing software platforms that supported multiple stakeholders. 

Prior to his work at Gateway Community College, Aiello was also the Dean of Student Development at Portland Community College where he was the lead administrator and directly involved with Oregon’s first DREAMer’s Resource Center for the undocumented and DACAmented students. He was responsible for continued development after its first grant of $50,000 and was able to establish permanent general funding for operations and a full-time, exempt position within two years, even amongst declining enrollment and a challenging political environment for the undocumented community. 

Outside of his work in education, Ryan treasures time spent with his wife, four boys, and four dogs. He can often be found attending extracurricular events for his children, exploring the outdoors, discovering a new favorite beer or coffee brew, hitting the nearest metro sporting or concert event, or spending time in his studio or onstage with his band ILL LUCID ONSET.