CVHEC Board of Director News
APRIL 2022
Dr. Jones nearing retirement as Fresno Pacific University president
Congratulations to Dr. Joseph Jones, who will be retiring as president of Fresno Pacific University this summer after nearly five years of faithful service.
FPU Board of Trustees Chair Joshua Wilson, J.D., announced the retirement last fall saying, “On behalf of the FPU Board of Trustees I want to thank Joe and Yvette for their faithful service to the university and to the communities the university serves. We wish them all the best in their future journey and pray for God’s blessing on them.”
A search for a new president is now underway. See the retirement announcement. See President Jones bio.
Dr. Bennett announces retirement as Clovis Community College president
Congratulations to Dr. Lori Bennett, who informed the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Board of Directors earlier this month that she will retire as president of Clovis Community College effective January 2023.
President Bennett was appointed to serve as the second president of Clovis Community College in July, 2016.
See GVWire story (April 27, 2022).
Dr. Marlon Hall Named Interim President Of Fresno City College
Interim President – Fresno City College
Congratulations to Dr. Marlon Hall on his appointment to serve as interim president of Fresno City College by State CenterCommunity College District Chancellor Carole Goldsmith in January.
He replaces Dr. Goldsmith who was appointed SCCCD chancellor in December. A search for the next FCC president is currently underway.
See Interim President Hall’s bio and the retirement full press release.
DECEMBER 2021
Goldsmith Named SCCCD Chancellor
Dr. Carole Goldsmith, who was named the 11th chancellor of the State Center Community College District last month, was confirmed by the SCCCD Board of Trustees Dec. 14 and begins her new position on Jan. 1. She fills the position vacated when Dr. Paul Parnell retired on July 6.
Dr. Goldsmith was serving as the president of Fresno City College at the time of her appointment and in that capacity was a member of the CVHEC Board of Directors, which is made up of the presidents and chancellors of its 29-member institutions in the nine-county region from San Joaquin to Kern counties. She will remain on the board now as SCCCD chancellor. Dr. Goldsmith has also previously served as president of West Hills College Coalinga.
Dr. Goldsmith earned a bachelor of arts degree in history at Fresno State, a master of science in educational administration from National University (both CVHEC member institutions) and a doctorate in educational administration from the Joint Doctorate program offered by Fresno State and University of California, Davis.
In addition to Fresno City College , the district’s campuses are Reedley College, Clovis Community College, Madera Community College, Madera Community College at Oakhurst and the Career & Technology Center.
SCCCD Board President Annalisa Perea said, “With more than 20 years of experience in a variety of educational leadership roles along with her knowledge of this district and the community, she is the right choice for this significant position.”
See the SCCCD press release.
West Hills College Coalinga Names Tweed President
Dr. Carla Tweed, a Central Valley native, will lead her alma mater as the 6th president of West Hills College Coalinga effective January 14, 2022 when she also becomes a member of the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium board of directors. See the WHCCD press release.
Preston Selected to lead West Hills College Lemoore
Mr. James Preston, former vice president of Educational Services who was serving as interim president of West Hills College Lemoore, was selected earlier this month to serve as the college’s 4th president effective January 1, 2022. See the WHCCD press release.
Thank you Sonia for your service to the CVHEC Board
Congratulations to Sonia Gutierrez-Mendoza, director of UMass Global’s Visalia Campus, (formerly Brandman) on her appointment as assistant vice chancellor for Admission Operations of the independent university. The appointment was effective Nov. 29 when Sonia moved to her new office in the Irvine central office. She participated in her final CVHEC Board meeting during the recent quarterly Zoom call Dec. 2. Gutierrez-Mendoza joined UMass Global in 2009 and the CVHEC board in 2018. She has led multiple university campuses in the Central Valley since 2012 and in 2018-2019 she spearheaded the initiative for a new campus location established in Visalia.
