Ventura College President Search

Description

Under the direction of the Chancellor, the President serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the college, oversees the academic and student services functions for the college, ensures sound fiscal and facilities management, and implements statutes, regulations, policies, and procedures in consideration of the mission of the district and college. 

Representative Duties

Plan and develop the overall academic direction for the college in conjunction with the Chancellor; plan and recommend the instructional and student services programs, college budget, and the organizational structure of the college; collaborate with district and college staff with regard to the strategic planning of short and long range goals and objectives, management of facilities, policy development, and resource allocation.

Administer the overall development, evaluation, and improvement of the college curriculum and student services programs, services, and activities based on effective research and analysis; oversee the collaboration of instructional and student services managers to provide and enhance a student-centered model of education.

Plan, organize, direct, and evaluate the activities of the college pursuant to the mission of the district and college and the goals and objectives as set forth by the Board of Trustees; report on college achievement of district and college goals.

Provide leadership for sound fiscal planning in the development and management of the institution’s budget and externally-funded initiatives; plan resource allocations for facilities, equipment, and technologies that support the mission and goals of the college and district.

Conduct administrative staff meetings and councils; provide guidance to and receive advice from faculty organizations on matters relating to the instructional and student services programs and staff.

Establish and facilitate communication between the college, students, communities, businesses, and district; provide leadership for the development of outreach activities and partnerships that strengthen college viability; represent the college at meetings of the Board of Trustees, district cabinet, district planning activities in the community, and as appropriate at regional, state, and national conferences; ensure the visibility of the college within the community by promoting its accomplishments and developing appropriate marketing strategies.

Recommend the selection, retention, promotion, and termination of college personnel; provide staffing recommendations in compliance with equal employment opportunity principles and guidelines; lead and coordinate innovative efforts for staff development and the improvement of instructional and student services programs.

Coordinate projects and activities related to program and college accreditation, articulation, and matriculation.

Provide for the safety of students, staff, and the general public at the college; support the implementation of safety training programs and services for students and staff; oversee college facilities to ensure they are functional, energy-efficient, and safe.

Work cooperatively with the Academic and Classified Senates and Associated Students through a participatory governance process.

Make recommendations and decisions regarding curricula and courses in consideration of input from the Academic Senate and college management; involve staff in the development and continuous appraisal of the general philosophy and specific objectives of the college; coordinate a system of evaluation that appraises the effectiveness of programs and personnel.

Encourage development of a campus climate that will motivate students and staff.

Minimum Qualifications

• Possession of a master’s degree; and
• One year of formal training, internship or leadership experience reasonably related to the administrator’s administrative assignment.

Challenges and Opportunities

• Mentor and cultivate the ongoing development of leadership and management at all levels of the organization. 

• Cultivate a collaborative, inclusive campus culture grounded in trust, transparency, and effective communication that fosters unity, increases morale, and reflects courage and resilience in advancing the College’s Mission, Vision, and Guiding Principles through a long-term commitment to Ventura College.

• Advance Ventura College as a leader in diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and anti-racism by fostering a welcoming sense of belonging and delivering programs, services, and advocacy that support the recruitment, success, and well-being of students of color, underrepresented and marginalized populations, including guidance and information related to federal immigration policies affecting students and their families.

• Identify strategies to increase enrollment, retention, completion, and expanded access for all students given state priorities and environmental factors through responsive operations, and balanced program alignment and affordability. 

• Oversee and support the development and implementation of strategic plans, management of facilities, policy development, resource allocation, and campus housing for students.  

• Further the advancement of Hispanic student success through strengthening our Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) identity.  

• Examine the balance of online and in-person learning options to optimize educational outcomes for students.  

• Partner with regional workforce leaders—including businesses, unions, and community organizations—to align career education programming with student interests and the needs of emerging and dominant industry sectors across Ventura County, while expanding internships, apprenticeships, and transfer opportunities that promote career readiness and professional growth.

• Champion the expansion of services for East Campus and the Santa Clara River Valley.  

• Effectively manage collective bargaining agreements with a solid understanding of union and employer rights, responsibilities, and the principle of good faith negotiation. Build and nurture a strong relationship with the Union. 

• Provide exemplary stewardship of financial resources amid tight budgets and potential federal and state funding reductions by effectively navigating complex college organizational structures, aligning cross-functional teams, and balancing stakeholder needs to enhance organizational effectiveness and student success.

• Foster a culture of academic rigor and intentional, effective innovations that strengthen programs and engage both students and faculty in advancing knowledge and workforce readiness.   

Ideal Characteristics

• A courageous, visionary, and student-centered leader who recognizes opportunities, embraces innovation, and makes decisions grounded in student success.
• An approachable, visible, and accessible presence who is engaged across the campus and actively connected to the broader community.
• A collaborative bridge-builder committed to strengthening relationships among students, faculty, classified professionals, administrators, and community partners to rebuild trust and improve morale.
• A culturally humble leader who values diversity in all its forms and embeds equity, inclusion, accessibility, and anti-racism into institutional practices and culture.
• An ethical and trustworthy leader who demonstrates transparency, integrity, fairness, and accountability at all levels of the institution.
• An effective communicator and active listener who respects differing perspectives and demonstrates skill in conflict resolution and consensus-building.
• A leader committed to participatory and shared governance, with experience in collegial consultation and collective bargaining environments.
• A mentor and people-centered leader who invests in employee development, well-being, retention, and leadership growth throughout the organization.
• A transformational leader who embraces technology and fosters continuous improvement in programs, services, and innovative methods of delivery.
• A champion of student enrollment, engagement, retention, and success, including initiatives that enhance student life and activities.
• A leader who strengthens academic and career pathways, ensuring programs support transfer, workforce readiness, and access to high-demand, high-wage careers.
• A community-connected advocate who builds and sustains partnerships with K–12 institutions, employers, community organizations, elected officials, and higher education partners.
• A fiscally responsible and strategic leader with experience managing complex budgets, projects, fundraising efforts, and foundation or philanthropic partnerships.
• A knowledgeable higher education leader experienced in accreditation, multi-college district environments, and California community college systems.
• A mission-driven leader who honors the college’s history while collaboratively shaping a future that enhances regional quality of life and economic prosperity, including experience serving Hispanic-Serving Institutions or similarly diverse communities.

Salary Range

$243,983 - $286,273 Annually

How to Apply

This is a confidential search process. To ensure full consideration, application materials should be received no later than February 3, 2026. The position will remain open until filled.

To apply go to https://acctsearches.org/president-ventura-college-vcccd-ca/ and upload your documents.

Candidates will need to have the following information or materials available to complete the application:

1. A letter of application (not to exceed 5 pages) that succinctly addresses the opportunities and challenges identified in the Position Profile and demonstrates how the candidate’s experience and professional qualifications prepare them to serve as the President of Ventura College.
2. A current resume including an email address and cellular telephone number. 

3. A list of eight references: example, two to three supervisors, two to three direct reports, and two to three faculty and/or staff members from current and former institutions. 

For additional information, nominations, or confidential inquiries please contact:

• Julie Golder, J.D., Vice President of Search Services, ACCT, jgolder@acct.org, or (202) 775-4466 (office) 

*An ACCT Search*

Screening Process

The selection committee will review and screen all applications.  The committee will invite the most qualified applicants to an initial interview. Following the initial interview, the Chancellor will interview the candidates recommended by the selection committee for final consideration.

Applicants with disabilities requiring reasonable accommodation during the selection process must inform the Human Resources Department, in writing, of the need for a reasonable accommodation no later than the application deadline. The request should include a description of the type and extent of the accommodation requested.  Requests for accommodation must be sent to: 

Scott Pilch, Director of Employment Services/Personnel Commission

Email: spilch@vcccd.edu

The Ventura County Community College District is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity. It is the District’s policy to ensure that all qualified applicants for employment have full and equal access to employment opportunity and are not subjected to discrimination in any program or activity of the District on the basis of ethnic group identification, race, color, national origin, religion, age, sex, physical disability, mental disability, ancestry, sexual orientation, language, accent, citizenship status, transgender status, parental status, marital status, economic status, veteran status, medical condition, or on the basis of these perceived characteristics, or based on association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics.

Ventura County Community College District (VCCCD) is a public community college district serving residents throughout Ventura County. Its mission is to provide students, in its diverse community, with access to comprehensive quality educational opportunities that support student learning and student success.  VCCCD’s three colleges—Moorpark College, Oxnard College, and Ventura College—offer programs for transfer to four-year colleges and universities, career technical training, basic skills instruction, and community service, economic development, and continuing education for cultural growth, life enrichment, and skills improvement. All three colleges are designated Hispanic-Serving Institutions and accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, an institutional accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and the U.S. Department of Education. The District Administrative Center (DAC), centrally located in Camarillo, oversees administrative functions and provides leadership and services to the three colleges in support of VCCCD’s mission.  Rick MacLennan, Ed.D., was selected by the Board of Trustees to serve as Chancellor beginning July 2022. 

VCCCD LEADERSHIP 

VCCCD is governed by a five-member, locally elected Board of Trustees and one student Board member elected by students from all colleges. The Board of Trustees is responsible for adopting policies that govern the business of the District and its colleges. The Ventura County Community College District is guided by the following six values:

VALUES

• EQUITY, DIVERSITY, INCLUSION
  We value and foster an environment where all individuals are respected and have equitable opportunities.
• TRUST, INTEGRITY, HONESTY
  We value a culture built on the highest standards of trust, integrity, and honesty.
• WELL-BEING, SUPPORT, DEVELOPMENT
  We value individuals’ holistic well-being, and support them with resources and opportunities for personal, academic, and professional growth.
• COLLABORATION, COMMUNITY, BELONGING
  We value caring, collaborative relationships that foster a sense of unity and belonging within the district and with community partners.
• STEWARDSHIP, SUSTAINABILITY, RESPONSIBILITY
  We value sustainable practices with ethical stewardship of resources and community investments.
• EXCELLENCE, INNOVATION, GROWTH
  We value innovative, strategic risk-taking to create new opportunities and foster continuous personal, professional, and organizational growth mindset.

College Mission

Ventura College (VC) places students at the center of their learning experience, supporting them in achieving their personal, academic, and career goals in an anti-racist, liberating, and inclusive environment. The College is an open access educational institution that supports our diverse community, helping students transform their own lives by offering degrees, certificates, transfer, and workforce preparation opportunities.

College Vision

VC will be a beacon of learning—a source of inspiration and guidance—for our students and community.

Institutional Strengths and Opportunities

Ventura College, an accredited two-year institution of higher education, has been a part of this beautiful seaside community since 1925. It is conveniently located approximately 60 miles north of Los Angeles and 30 miles south of Santa Barbara. The 112-acre campus, set in the rolling hills of Ventura was the first institution of higher education in Ventura County and has provided quality education for nearly 100 years. It is a designated Hispanic Serving Institution, enrolling over 14,500 students each semester at two campuses. VC offers over 70 disciplines of study in STEM fields, business, the arts, education, social/behavioral sciences, liberal arts, and health sciences. It is the largest provider of workforce participants in the county in manufacturing, automotive technology, and nursing. VC’s main campus is located minutes from the beach. In the late 1970s, Ventura College opened a Santa Paula site, Ventura College East Campus (VCEC), to serve the needs of the growing community in the Santa Clara River Valley. 

Ventura College has received numerous awards including:

• Top 150 Community Colleges, Aspen Institute College Excellence Program, eligible for the 2023 Aspen Prize
• Awarded over $62 million to fund affordable apartment-style student housing, providing over 300 beds in 95 units.
• Hispanic Outlook on Education Magazine named Ventura College among the Top 100 Colleges and Universities for Hispanics in the categories of Total Enrollment for Two-Year Schools and Total Associate Degrees Granted for the 2019-2020 Academic Year
• One of the largest textbook lending libraries in the California community college system
• Leader in California for offering fully online Associate Degrees for Transfer

Approximately 70% of VC’s student population is under the age of 25. This has been the case for many years. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the relative percentage of students under 20 increased, while the relative percentage of students between 20 and 24 decreased.

Student ethnic demographics have shifted tremendously over the past 20-25 years. In the fall 2000, for example, White students made up 52% of the student population, and Hispanic students made up 32% of the population. In fall 2021, White students made up 24% of the student population, whereas Hispanics made up 63% of the population.

Ventura County is located on the beautiful California coast. Our Mediterranean climate is often described as the best in the world with average annual temperatures in the mid-70s. Ventura County’s mountains, valleys and seashores give the area six different micro-climates, more than any other county in the nation. It is the gateway to Channel Islands National Park, one of only four designated national marine sanctuaries composed of five islands located just a few miles off the coast. The county has a diverse population with approximately 800,000 residents including 10 incorporated cities (Camarillo, Fillmore, Moorpark, Ojai, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Ventura, Santa Paula, Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks) as well as unincorporated areas.

Though Ventura College draws students from other California regions, as well as other states and foreign countries, there is a particularly strong bond between our campus and the communities which surround it. For decades, Ventura College stood alone as the only postsecondary institution in the county, and as a result, the College counts as friends, supporters, and alumni, thousands of people from across the Oxnard plain and the Santa Clara, Ojai, Conejo and Simi Valleys. In many of these areas, but particularly in the west county, Ventura College is known simply as “The College.’’

Today, Ventura College maintains the same strong commitments with its community. The performances of College drama, music, dance, and athletic groups and teams draw enthusiastic support from the community, as do professional and student artists who exhibit in the two College galleries. In addition to these curricular activities, special events, performances, and excursions keep the community focused on the College as an exciting cultural and recreational center.

Established in 1983, the Ventura College Foundation is one of the most successful community college foundations in California, having raised more than nearly $48 million for Ventura College and its students. Through this support, the Ventura College Foundation assists the College in facilitating student success and grows the impact and legacy of Ventura College as a vital community asset.