Tag: Ventura County Community College District board of trustees

VCCCD Installs Three Trustees and Elects Board Leadership

by Community Contributor • December 23, 2022 • Comments Off

Longtime Ventura County resident and educator Lou Lichtl joined the Ventura County Community College District Board of Trustees during the District’s Annual Organizational Meeting on Dec. 13. Lichtl was installed with trustees Joshua Chancer and Gabriela Torres, who were re-elected in November.

At the meeting, Trustee Bernardo M. Perez, who has served on the board of trustees since 2010, was elected board chair. Torres was elected vice chair, and Chancellor Rick MacLennan will serve as secretary.

“I look forward to working with my fellow trustees to continue our commitment to bettering the lives of students at Moorpark, Oxnard and Ventura colleges and strengthening our partnerships with the community,” said Perez, who is serving his fourth term as chair over his 12 years on the board. He has a long history of dedication and involvement in Ventura County, having served previously as mayor of the City of Moorpark and a member of the Moorpark City Council.

The five-member board of trustees, which also includes Trustee Stan Mantooth, works collaboratively to adopt policies that oversee all activities relating to the business of the District and Moorpark, Oxnard and Ventura colleges. Student Trustee Azure Heirshberg advocates on behalf of VCCCD students.

VCCCD Board of Trustees Selects Executive Management Firm for New Chancellor Search

by Community Contributor • January 17, 2022 • Comments Off

The Ventura County Community College District Board of Trustees voted to retain the executive management firm Greenwood/Asher & Associates, LLC to lead a nationwide search for the selection and appointment of its new chancellor. The firm will begin work immediately to seek a replacement for Chancellor Greg Gillespie, who announced his retirement from the District at the end of June.

Greenwood/Asher has extensive experience with executive search, consulting and training in PreK-12 and higher education, both nationally and internationally. The firm’s founders and partners, Jan Greenwood and Betty Asher, have deep roots in higher education, having served as presidents and tenured professors in universities. VCCCD trustees voted to contract with the firm during its Dec. 20 meeting. Greenwood/Asher was one of several firms considered following a Request for Proposals for Executive Management Search Firm Consultant for Chancellor.

“Chancellor Gillespie has done an outstanding job of leading the District and its colleges, especially during the pandemic,” said Board Chair Dianne B. McKay. “We’re looking for someone of the same caliber who has visionary leadership capabilities and can continue to build and maintain campus services and community partnerships that benefit our students, provide for an equitable workforce and create economic development opportunities in Ventura County.”

Ventura County Community College District Elects New Board Officers

by Community Contributor • December 22, 2021 • Comments Off

The Ventura County Community College District Board of Trustees elected longtime Trustee Dianne B. McKay as board chair during the District’s Annual Organizational Meeting on Dec. 14. The board elected Trustee Stan Mantooth as vice chair and Chancellor Greg Gillespie as secretary.

McKay and Mantooth will continue to work with Trustees Josh Chancer, Bernardo M. Perez and Gabriela Torres in conducting board business and reviewing and adopting policies that regulate activities in the District and its colleges in Moorpark, Oxnard and Ventura. Student Trustee Bryan Rodriguez, a political science major at Ventura College, will continue to advocate for the District’s approximately 31,000 students. The board of trustees is elected in even-numbered years to four-year terms by Ventura County voters. The student trustee is elected annually through a district-wide student election.

Ventura College Student Bryan Rodriguez named Student Trustee of VCCCD Board of Trustees

by Community Contributor • October 15, 2021 • Comments Off

The Ventura County Community College District Board of Trustees installed Bryan Rodriguez as Student Trustee for the 2021-22 academic year at its Oct. 12 meeting. A Ventura College student, Rodriguez was selected through a districtwide special student election in Sept. He joins the District’s elected board consisting of Chair Joshua Chancer, Vice Chair Dianne B. McKay and Trustees Stan Mantooth, Bernardo M. Perez and Gabriela Torres.

As the Student Trustee, Rodriguez will represent and advocate for the District’s approximately 31,000 students at Moorpark, Oxnard and Ventura colleges at monthly Board of Trustees’ meetings and other constituent meetings across the District. He will also participate in professional development conferences and assist the board in advocating for the District, both statewide and nationally.

VCCCD Board Approves Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccinations for Students and Employees

by Community Contributor • August 11, 2021 • Comments Off

After thorough discussion and research, the Ventura County Community College District Board of Trustees unanimously approved the policy COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement for Employees and Students at its Aug. 10 meeting. The policy requires that everyone who accesses in-person, on-site campus/District programs or who participates in off-site District/college services in person will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The goal is to protect the health and well-being of students, faculty, staff, administrators and the communities VCCCD serves, as well as maintain higher education access and attainment for the District’s approximately 31,000 students.

Effective Oct. 15, the mandate allows time for unvaccinated employees, students and the public to complete two-dose vaccines. The mandate recommends immediate implementation with the vaccines the Food and Drug Administration approved under Emergency Use Authorization, including those from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson).

Dr. Julius Sokenu Named Moorpark College President

by Community Contributor • April 16, 2021 • Comments Off

The Ventura County Community College District board of trustees announces that Dr. Julius Sokenu has been named the president of Moorpark College, pending contract approval. Sokenu has served as the interim president since 2019 and has been with the college for 14 years.

“Dr. Sokenu is a visionary leader who supports the college’s approximately 14,000 students and the faculty and staff,” said Chancellor Greg Gillespie. “During his tenure as the interim president, he expanded and supported institutional priorities related to equity and diversity, specifically for services to underserved populations.”