Dr. Damon Bell. Courtesy photo.
CAMARILLO — Ventura County Community College District Chancellor Greg Gillespie is pleased to announce that Dr. Damon Bell has been selected as interim president for Ventura College, effective July 23, 2018. Bell has 25 years of experience that includes Washington and California college systems. He has held senior leadership positions at San Diego Mesa College; Long Beach City College; California State University San Marco; California State University Monterey Bay; and San Francisco State University. Most recently, Dr. Bell has served as Vice President for Student Services and Achievement at Olympic College in Bremerton, Washington.
Chancellor Gillespie stated, “We are fortunate to have Dr. Bell joining Ventura College and the District. He is an experienced leader with a proven track record of implementing innovative practices to increase student access and success.”
Bell’s appointment as interim president of Ventura College is the result of the retirement of Interim President Dave Keebler who served for one year as president and nine years as Vice President, Business Services; Keebler also served as Vice Chancellor of Business Services at the District Office during the recruitment of a permanent Vice Chancellor, now a position held by Dr. David El Fattal.
“I am excited about relocating back to California and working with the faculty and staff to continue moving the college forward in service to students. I look forward to being a part of the great things happening at Ventura College,” stated Bell.
Established in 1925, Ventura College is an accredited two-year institution of higher education located approximately 60 miles north of Los Angeles and 30 miles south of Santa Barbara in Ventura, California. Ventura College offers Associate of Arts and Associate of Sciences degrees in 33 majors and Certificates of Completion and Proficiency Awards in 61 areas of study. The institution has an enrollment of approximately 14,500 students and has Transfer Guarantee Agreements with California State University (CSU), Channel Islands; CSU, Northridge; University of California (UC) Davis; UC Santa Barbara; and UC Santa Cruz.
— The Ventura County Community College District is a member of the 114-campus California Community College system, and serves more than 32,000 students annually. The District’s three colleges- Moorpark, Oxnard, and Ventura- offer programs in general education for degrees and certificates, transfer to four-year colleges and universities, career technical education, and provide opportunities to engage in co-curricular campus activities. For more information, please visit www.vcccd.edu.