women of achievement

Randi Holland

Randi Holland’s contributions to education in Vancouver span her 32-year residence in the area, but their roots date back to her early childhood. “My mother died when I was eight years old, so I took on a nurturing role with my younger brother and sister,” said Randi, one of four children born to John and Eleanor Edwardsen, “so being a teacher always seemed to be a natural thing for me.” Raised on Yarrow Point (a peninsula on the eastern shores of Lake Washington, east of Seattle), Randi attended Bellevue High School and Washington State University, where she earned a bachelor of arts in English with distinction and her teaching certificate.

After graduation, Randi taught junior high reading and math for two years. With the birth of her children, her work in education shifted to volunteer positions, which included tutoring and mentoring roles in the Clark College adult English/GED program, the HOSTS remedial reading program at Harney and Truman elementary schools, the MATCH program for gifted math students at Harney Elementary, and the Clark County Juvenile Hall summer school.

It was that experience in education that led Randi to the role she considers to be one of her most significant accomplishments: member and past president of the Vancouver School Board. “When someone told me he thought I should run for the school board, I did,” she notes. “And it was a commitment that lasted for 17 years.” During her tenure on the board, the Vancouver School District improved its curriculum, built or remodeled 28 schools, implemented magnet programs, and instituted specialized staff development and recruitment efforts – all of which have raised the quality of educational opportunities in the Vancouver School District. “As a five-term member and past president of the Vancouver School Board,” wrote her nominator, “she demonstrated her leadership in helping to evolve one of the best school districts in our state.”

Education is not the only outlet for Randi’s volunteer efforts. Health and children’s agencies, as well as political groups and Vancouver area arts and historical groups, have been part of her service record. The short list of organizations to which she has given her time includes: the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Children’s Home Society, Children’s Trust Auxiliary, Clark County Historical Museum, Friends of Hospice, Southwest Washington Hospitals Foundation, Vancouver National Historic Reserve, Vancouver Symphony, and Women in Action.

It was Randi’s father who imparted to her the sense of responsibility to help others that has guided her volunteer work. “My father encountered very difficult circumstances growing up, but he worked very hard to create a better life for us,” she said. “He told us [children] many times a year that it was ‘incumbent on us to do more than our share’, because there are so many who are unable or unwilling to do theirs.”

In addition to those early lessons about the importance of serving others, Randi feels she benefits from her volunteer efforts: “There is a great pleasure in doing these things. The greatest blessing of being involved is in becoming part of a community of people who care. It contributes to a sense of being surrounded by good will.” She also encourages others to become involved. “There’s always room for more people in community service. It is the most rewarding and uplifting use of your time,” she said.

Randi is also an advocate for strong family units, as evidenced by her roles as a PTA member and as co-chair of the Southwest Washington/Portland Academy for Family Television. Her own family began 33 years ago with her marriage to her college sweetheart, Vancouver attorney Jim Holland. Two grown children – Jim Jr., an attorney in his father’s law office in Vancouver, and Brooke, a representative for Stryker surgical equipment in Seattle – complete the family portrait. “As a believer in the strength of strong, communicative families,” wrote Randi’s nominator, “she is a great example of a thoughtful, concerned parent and supportive spouse. The members of Randi’s immediate family are her biggest fans.”

Randi’s motivation and inspiration comes from what she sees in others around her. “Life is a struggle for everyone, but most people have good intentions for themselves and others,” she said. “Most people do little commendable things each day that give us hope that the next generation will do more and have more. All those little actions of good will inspire us a bit every day – so there is more reason for hope than despair.”

There is no doubt that Randi Holland’s committed service to education, family, health care, politics and the arts has already given more to the next generation – and is the reason she is, truly, a woman of achievement.