BOARD NEWS: Chancellor Muñoz to chair CVHEC Board of Directors

CVHEC Executive Committee sets sights on 2025 planning

Dr. Juan Sánchez Muñoz, chancellor of University of California Merced, is the new chairperson for the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Board of Directors beginning a one-year term this month.

As chair, Chancellor Muñoz leads the executive committee of the CVHEC board which is now preparing for the consortium’s upcoming Central Valley Higher Education Summit tentatively set for May 9.  Two board meetings are planned this spring, said Dr. Benjamín Durán, CVHEC executive director.

He succeeds Dr. Kristen Clark who retired from her position as chancellor of West Hills Community College District in August, an action that also vacated her seat on the CVHEC board and ended her time as board chair.

“We appreciate the energy and contributions from Chancellor-emeritus Clark as CVHEC board chair the past three-plus years,” Durán said. “We now look forward to Chancellor’s Munoz’ leadership of one of the most unique collaborations in the nation: the CEOs of a region’s colleges and universities working in unison as a consortium board for the success of more than 250,000 higher ed students in our 10-county service areas.”

“I am excited to serve as incoming chair of this important consortium with a proven history of fostering dynamic partnerships, driving impactful innovation and intentionally expanding access to transformative educational experiences for students and their families across the Central Valley,” said Chancellor Muñoz. “I look forward to working with my esteemed colleagues and their institutions to further align our collective efforts in creating a brighter and more equitable future for all.”

The CVHEC board consists of the chief executive officers of 28 institutions of higher education in the valley’s 10-county region that comprise the consortium membership. The executive committee is selected from board members representing the state’s four higher education segments,

“The CVHEC board’s executive committee conducts business on behalf of the board when it is not available, especially for timely or urgent matters,” said Ángel Ramírez, CVHEC operations and finance manager. “It also helps sets the agenda for board business.”

Per CVHEC bylaws, each higher education segment has a set number of representatives on the committee who are selected by the full board of directors. Executive committee members serve three-year terms beginning in October the first year.

The membership of the 2025 CVHEC Executive Committee by segment with their terms noted is:

• CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITIES (2)

President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval, Fresno State (2022 –2025)

President Britt Rios-Ellis, CSU Stanislaus (2024 –2027)

• CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY COLLEGES (3)                      

NORTH – President Chris Vitelli, Merced College (2024 –2027)

CENTRAL – Chancellor Robert Pimentel, West Hills Community College District (2022 –2025)

SOUTH – President Brent Calvin, College of the Sequoias (2024 –2027)

• UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA (1)                                   

Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz, UC Merced (2022 –2025) — 2025 CVHEC Board Chair

• PRIVATE/INDEPENDENT (1)

President Andre Stephens, Fresno Pacific (2024 –2027)

The first executive committee meeting under Chair Muñoz is being set for late January / early February at UC Merced (date to be announced), and the second will be May 8, the day before the CVHEC’s higher ed summit, said Ramírez.