Robin McGregor
Oakland Community College Board of Trustees candidate interview. Skilled trades, opportunity and community access
Full interview · 14:21
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A background built through work and community service
I opened my conversation with Robin McGregor by asking about her background. She described 35 years at Consumers Energy, work in skilled trades, union leadership and community activities. We also clarified her education: she discussed a Cornell labor-law certificate rather than a Cornell bachelor’s degree, along with other study and training. That distinction matters when understanding the experience she says she would bring to the board.
Making room for more than one route to a career
McGregor’s reason for seeking the position centered on opportunity. She wants skilled trades and apprenticeships to be valued alongside other educational routes. She discussed the connections among training, work and further study, and proposed that completed apprenticeships be connected to associate-degree credit. That is an idea she advocates in the interview, not a claim here about an existing OCC entitlement or policy.
Policy, accountability and the community’s voice
When I asked what trustees do, McGregor cited her Waterford school-board experience. She identified policy, the chancellor’s employment and evaluation, budget approval and representing community concerns as central responsibilities. Her answer returned to the need for board members to bring what they hear in the community back to college leadership.
Making the college’s opportunities better known
Looking several years ahead, McGregor wanted more people to understand the programs available at OCC. She discussed stronger connections with high schools and the importance of what happens after students move on, including their experience after transfer. When we turned to strengths and challenges, she praised faculty and described public awareness as an area needing attention. Her argument was that opportunities cannot serve people who do not know they exist.
Access across ages and communities
Our closing discussion included adult learners, career changes and the relationship between college programs and the communities they serve. McGregor raised access in northern Oakland County as campus use changes and spoke about maintaining in-person connections. Her final case brought those themes back to her experience in work, training and community service. The full interview provides the detail behind the proposals and examples she discussed.
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