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.

Joshua Chancer, representing Area 1 was elected to our Board of Trustees in 2018 and 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 Larry Kennedy, representing Area 3, was elected to the Ventura County Community College District Board of Trustees in 2012. Since 2002, he has owned Kennedy Consulting Services, a consulting firm that trains workforce professionals to improve services through staff and Board workshops.

From 1979 until joining the VCCCD Board of Trustees, Trustee Kennedy was a business department professor at Oxnard College, teaching macro and microeconomic theory, management and supervision, marketing, and human resources management. He previously served as the Director of the Oxnard College Job and Career Center and as Regional Manager and Job Service Manager with the State of California Employment Development Department.

Trustee Kennedy has served the community college system with local, statewide and national leadership roles. Locally Kennedy has served as Board Chair, Vice Chair, and Chair of the Fiscal, Policy and Administrative committees of the Ventura County Community College District.

He currently holds leadership positions at the State level on the California Community College League (CCLC), a professional organization that serves the needs of all 72 California College Districts where he sits on the CCLC Board of Directors. In addition, he is Co-chair and Founder of the Veterans Caucus that advocates for military veteran students throughout California. Nationally, Trustee Kennedy advocates for military veterans with the House of Representatives, the Federal Senate, and the Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Trustee Kennedy received his bachelor’s degree in economics at UC Santa Barbara, and his MBA at California Lutheran University.

Kennedy is a Vietnam Southeast Asia U.S. Navy Disabled Veteran. He is descended from 1885 Ojai pioneers. Trustee Kennedy and his wife, Joanne, live in Camarillo and have two grown daughters.

In service to the community, Trustee Kennedy has held leadership roles on the boards of these organizations:

• American Red Cross
• County of Ventura Economic Development, Workforce Investment Board (WIOA)
• Rotary International
• County of Ventura Management Council
• Oxnard College Academic Senate
• Employer Advisory Council
• Chamber of Commerce
• Ventura County Regional Energy Alliance 
• California Workforce Association
• Oxnard College Foundation

Trustee Dianne B. McKay, representing Area 2, was elected to the Ventura County Community College District Board of Trustees in 2010. She is president and owner of Mustang Marketing, the oldest and largest marketing firm in Ventura County.

Trustee McKay’s unique hybrid of expertise in business management and community outreach allows her to effectively help Mustang’s Southern California clients succeed, whether large national corporations or local nonprofits.

Trustee McKay’s business career started in 1982 in the telecommunications field, then in 1986 she and her father founded Strategic Television. After more than two decades in live broadcast television, managing some of the largest and most complex programs of that time, she switched focus to fundraising for education and nonprofit organizations before joining Mustang in 2010.

A resident of Thousand Oaks since 1972, she has received numerous awards for her dedication and work within the community. She has served on the Chico State College of Business Advisory Board, the Thousand Oaks Traffic and Transportation Commission, and various other local boards and committees, including 15 months as interim president of the local Boys & Girls Club.

Trustee McKay and her husband, Duncan, have four adult children.

Trustee McKay’s Community Involvement Includes:

• Community College League of California Advisory Committee, Education Services
• Community College League of California’s Strategic Leadership Program and League-On-Call services
• Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce—Board Member
• United Way—Board Member
• Family Justice Center— Board Member
• Safe Passage Youth Foundation— Board Member
• Conejo Schools Foundation— Board Member
• CLU Graduate School of Education Deans Council
• Thousand Oaks Library Foundation—Board Member

Trustee Gabriela Torres, representing Area 5, is committed to social justice issues and serving students. She is an Oxnard resident and an administrator for the Oxnard Elementary School District.

Student Trustee Ashley Gonzales represents students at Moorpark, Oxnard, and Ventura colleges. 

Ms. Gonzales is a full-time Oxnard College student majoring in psychology and criminology with plans to become an FBI Behavioral Analyst.

She served as Oxnard College Associated Student Government Secretary during Fall 2019 and believes her experiences and knowledge will be beneficial in her role as Student Trustee. She also takes classes at all three VCCCD colleges, which provides her an understanding of each campus’s unique culture and student initiatives.

In addition to her studies, Ms. Gonzales is employed at Oxnard College as a greeter in the library connecting students with tutors.

Ms. Gonzales hopes to lead by example by motivating and including students. She is passionate about advocating for all students and will use their perspectives to inform her work as Student Trustee. She aims to be a “SHERO” to students and make sure their voices are heard.