Meet Our Faculty
Experience and Knowledge
Faculty in the Aviation program have rich backgrounds in higher education and possess real world experience in the industry.
See the Aviation Department Directory for a full listing of staff and faculty.
Faculty Profiles
Meet just a few of the highly qualified Aviation faculty members at COCC.
James Cagney
Chair of Aviation
Assistant Professor 1 CIS/CS
Email: jcagney@cocc.edu
Before joining COCC, James worked for years in the industry for Cisco Systems, Hewlett-Packard, Oracle, Fujitsu and NCR. He brings a wealth of real-world experience to his classes. James has served as a technical education consultant managing Cisco's CCNA content, a database consultant for Oracle, technical support manager for HP, a product planner for Fujitsu, and a Software Troubleshooter for NCR.
James earned an M.S. in Software Engineering from Northern Illinois University and an MBA from National University. He has taught at California State University in Long Beach and National University.
Lisa Shipman
Aviation Program Director
Associate Professor I of Aviation
Email: lshipman@cocc.edu
After working in the aviation industry for 25 years, Lisa enjoys sharing her knowledge and experience with students as they train to become professional aviators. In particular, she likes helping students as they explore potential career options in the field of aviation. Early in her career, Lisa owned a flight school and charter service and later went on to fly jet airplanes in the corporate and charter industry for over 20 years before coming to COCC. She has extensive experience with flight instruction and ground instruction at all levels of aviation training and teaches a variety of classes in the Aviation curriculum.
Lisa continues to work part-time in the industry, flying a corporate jet for a local company and serving as a flight instructor at the Bend Airport.
Michelle Hight
Assistant Professor of Aviation
Email: mhight@cocc.edu
Michelle's first career was as a C-130 pilot in the U.S. Air Force. When she retired in 2014, she began teaching at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU). The jump to Part 121 training management happened in 2021, when she was recruited to carry her PhD work into developing leadership courses and facilitation skills for instructors and evaluators at a major airline. She oversaw cross-fleet and Human Factors programs (including Crew Resource Management (CRM) and Threat and Error Management (TEM). Her work in CRM and TEM led to her joining the LOSA Collaborative, where she combines her love for science-backed safety assessment with her extensive knowledge of aviation. Michelle is also owner of MPH Human Factors LLC, a consulting group of aviators and researchers focused on improving aviation safety.
Michelle's true passion will always be mentoring pilots beginning this exciting journey. Each student comes with a unique story and goals, and she enjoys the opportunity to help them reach those goals, drawing from her decades of flying, military and major airline experience.
John Cameron
Associate Professor II of Aviation
Email: jcameron5@cocc.edu
John Cameron recently retired from the Brunei Shell Aviation Department where he was posted from 2020 – 2024. He was the Brunei Directorate of Civil Aviation (BDCA) approved Accountable Manager for the BSP-SAV Air Operating Certificate (AOC) which operates four Oil & Gas passenger transport helicopters, one All Weather Day/Night Search & Rescue helicopter and an ICAO Annex 14 compliant aerodrome. BSP-SAV is the only Shell Group owned and operated offshore helicopter operation.
Prior to his posting in BSP-SAV he was the Senior Aviation Adviser in Shell Aircraft International completing assignments in Houston, Singapore and The Netherlands from 2008 - 2020.
John served as a Pilot in both the U.S. Army and U.S. Coast Guard where he held positions as; Flight Instructor & Flight Examiner, Director of Safety, Director Operations, Air Station Executive Officer and Senior Search and Rescue Controller in a Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC). John is rated in both fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft.
John has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Aviation Management from Southern Illinois University, and he holds a Masters of Arts in International Relations from Salve Regina University.