Ben Slusser, Class of 1999
When Ben arrived at Shoreline Community College in 1996, he was ready for a place that offered room to grow and the freedom to chart his own direction. Shoreline delivered exactly that. Nearly three decades later, after a career spanning aerospace, financial planning, business development and nonprofit consulting, he still credits the College with teaching him to trust his instincts and welcome unexpected opportunities.
Ben began at Shoreline as a musician with ambitions in audio engineering. As he moved through the program, he realized his interests stretched beyond one field. He shifted his focus, completed an AA, and transferred to the University of Washington. “Shoreline was a place to really find myself and figure out what I wanted to do,” he says.
Even though he didn’t pursue audio engineering professionally, music remains a lifelong joy. Today, he plays for fun and teaches his kids to play too.
The freedom to explore various interests at Shoreline was influential in other ways. While we talked, Ben recalled a moment when a psychology course helped him gain meaningful clarity about his own well-being. Reading about the symptoms of generalized anxiety was a lightbulb moment for him, and with support from his caring instructor, set him on an empowering path forward with proper diagnosis and medication. “It wasn’t a small thing, my mental health was derailing life at the time. I would have been on a completely different career and life trajectory without this realization.”
One of his most cherished memories is graduating the same year his sister received her nursing pin from Shoreline. “It was a pinnacle moment for my family, especially for my mom and dad,” he says. “My sister had gone back to school in her 30s. We got to celebrate together.”
Today, he continues giving back to the college that helped shape him by serving on Shoreline’s new Alumni Steering Committee.
After earning his bachelor’s degree from UW, Ben spent 17 years at Boeing, advancing through roles in IT, business management, and cost planning while completing his MBA at Seattle University.
Ben later took over his wife’s family’s hot springs resort in Montana, fully embracing the challenge. He led major growth, expanded the business, and became part of a tightknit community. The experience reshaped his approach to leadership and deepened his commitment to intentional, people-centered work.
That mindset carries into his life today, especially as a parent. His greatest joy is raising his three children. “My passion now is putting three awesome human beings into the world who will make a difference and do good things,” he says with a proud smile. “So, it’s a long-term project.”
Ben is also a strong advocate for the role community and technical colleges play in preparing students for the workforce. He sees them becoming even more essential as the job market evolves. Especially now, people are questioning whether a traditional four-year path is always the right choice, and he believes the practical, career-ready options at two-year colleges offer tremendous value. “As trades become more competitive and niche specialties keep emerging, places like Shoreline College are positioned incredibly well for the future.”
He encourages students to keep an open mind, discover what genuinely interests them, and pursue it wholeheartedly. Whether that path leads to fixing bikes or cars, or sitting in a boardroom, he believes success comes from following your own direction. Not someone else’s definition of it. When you choose work that fits who you are, he says, you’re more likely to enjoy it, excel at it, and grow by embracing challenges and thinking outside the box.
With that in mind, he offers this advice to students: “Always be open to interesting opportunities. Be open to the signs the universe is giving you. Find out what you are passionate about and really go after it.”