Meet the Board of Trustees
Joshua Chancer, representing Area 1 was elected to our Board of Trustees in 2018 and re-elected in 2022. He has been a Ventura County resident for the majority of his life. He attended public schools from the elementary grades through his college and university career, including Ventura College in 1996.
Josh Chancer has 20 years of experience in public education, teaching English Language Arts, Social Science, Adult ESL. Currently, Josh is employed by the Oxnard Union High School District as a Social Science Teacher. He also served as an Adjunct Instructor at California Lutheran University, Graduate School of Education.
Josh received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social Science from San Diego State University in 2001, a California Teaching Credential from CSUCI in 2002, and a Master’s Degree in Education from National University. He was recognized as a Governor’s Teacher Fellow in 2001, and in 2009 was a recipient of the Pacific Teacher Innovation Network Award and Grant.
Trustee Lou Lichtl, representing Area 2, was elected to the Ventura County Community College District Board of Trustees in 2022. A retired public school educator of over 35 years, Lichtl presently serves as the administrator of Passageway School, a non-public school for students with disabilities located in his hometown of Newbury Park.
Trustee Lichtl brings a breadth of knowledge to the position born out of his own experiences as a community college student and as a longtime high school educator, which includes 10 years of teaching experience, 10 years of service as an assistant principal, and 12 ½ years as a secondary school principal, including 8 ½ years at Thousand Oaks High School and 3 ½ years as assistant superintendent with the Conejo Valley Unified School District.
Lichtl’s knowledge in school management, budget, and policy development and implementation helps him support the students and classified staff within the Ventura County Community College District.
A resident of Newbury Park since 1996, Lichtl has been recognized by both community organizations and the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) for his service and dedication to public school education and the success of all students.
He has served as the ACSA Legislative Action Committee Representative for the local charter known as COLVOP (Conejo, Las Virgenes, Oak Park) due to his broad knowledge in education and relationships built over a career of service.
Trustee Lichtl and his wife of 34 years, Lisa, have two adult children.
Trustee Stan Mantooth, representing Area 3, was elected to the Ventura County Community College District Board of Trustees in 2020.
Ventura County Superintendent of Schools, Stan Mantooth, has 45 years of experience in
K-12 school districts and the County Office of Education. Beginning in 1996, and until his appointment as County Superintendent of Schools in September 2008, Mr. Mantooth served as Associate Superintendent for Administrative Services with the Ventura County Office of Education. In 2010, 2014 and in 2018 he was elected to successive four year terms.
Mr. Mantooth’s specific areas of focus and expertise include financial systems and budget development, personnel administration, collective bargaining, facilities planning and administration, and risk management. Mr. Mantooth has shared his expertise while serving on a variety of statewide committees, including serving as past-President of the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association (CCSESA), the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) and the California Association of School Business Officials (CASBO).
Mr. Mantooth has served on a variety of local committees and commissions including First 5 Ventura County, the Ventura County P-20 Regional Council, the Ventura County Community Foundation, and the Ventura County School Boards Association.
Mr. Mantooth has a Bachelor’s degree from California State University Northridge and a Master’s degree in School Business Administration from Pepperdine University, and also holds a California Teaching Credential and a California Administrative Services Credential. He has been a Faculty Member/Lecturer at California State University Northridge, California State University Channel Islands and Pepperdine University.
Bernardo M. Perez, representing Area 4, joined the Board of Trustees in 2010. Previously, he represented his community on the Moorpark City Council, including serving as Mayor of the City of Moorpark. In addition, Trustee Perez currently holds positions with the Workforce Investment Board, the Moorpark Foundation for the Arts, and the Simi Valley Hospital Foundation. Since 1999, Trustee Perez has worked as the Project Manager for the Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation in Ventura. He previously was employed with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power for over 30 years.
Through the years, Trustee Perez has served his community with the Ventura County Civic Alliance, Clinicas del Camino Real, United Way of Ventura County, Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation, El Concilio del Condado de Ventura, Children’s Health Initiative Steering Committee, HOME Housing Task Force, Justice and Peace Commission, Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Ventura County Living Wage Coalition (Co-Chair), the 2010 Ventura County Housing Conference Planning Committee, and he has assisted the Moorpark Unified School District as a classroom volunteer/reader.
Trustee Gabriela Torres, representing Area 5, was elected to the Ventura County Community College District Board of Trustees in 2018 and re-elected in 2022. She is committed to social justice issues and serving students. She is an Oxnard resident and an administrator for the Oxnard School District.
Azure Heirshberg is the 2022-23 VCCCD Student Trustee and represents the students of Moorpark College, Oxnard College, and Ventura College.
A chemistry major at Moorpark College, Student Trustee Heirshberg is also president of the Moorpark College Chemistry Club. As Student Trustee, his goals are to be the conduit between students and VCCCD Trustees, to collaborate with the colleges’ student government leadership, and to support student mental health services.
“It’s important for students to know I am here for them,” he said. As Student Trustee, he is dedicated to listening to students and sharing their concerns, comments and grievances at board meetings to provide Trustees with the student perspective.
He also supports efforts to remove barriers to students’ educational goals, especially through mental health services. As part of these efforts, he would like to see policy enacted that enables the colleges to provide sustainable mental health services to students.
One of the things that Student Trustee Heirshberg appreciates about his role is that “everyone is here for the students’ benefit” and that Trustees solicit and value his opinion. “I appreciate the trust they have in me,” he said.
Student Trustee Heirshberg plans to graduate May 2022 and transfer to UC Berkeley, where he will major in nuclear and chemical engineering. His career goal is to be an inventor and have his own business.
Student Trustee Heirshberg invites students to contact him at studenttrustee@vcccd.edu.