[TO FINALIZE}

(FEB. 10, 2026) — Four former Central Valley college presidents will serve as team liaisons for strategic advisory board streams — created by the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Board of Directors at its Strategic Planning Retreat last summer — that will be key areas of CVHEC focus for the next three to five years.

Dr. Benjamín Durán, CVHEC executive director, announced the stream liaison appointments and said they are now preparing for the first group meetings set to begin later this month (see the full roster for each advisory board at end of story). They are:

STREAM 1: DATA SHARING AND REGIONAL DASHBOARDS

• Dr. Kristin Clark, chancellor-emerita of West Hills Community College District

STREAM 2: WORKFORCE ALIGNED PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

• Stan Carrizosa, president-emeritus of College of the Sequoias

• Dr. Lori Bennett, president-emeritus of Clovis Community College

STREAM 3: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)

• Dr. Kristin Clark, chancellor-emerita of West Hills Community College District

• Tom Burke, chancellor-emeritus of Kern Community College District

STREAM 4: ENROLLMENT, RECONNECT

• Tom Burke, chancellor-emeritus of Kern Community College District

The advisory boards consist of current chancellors, presidents and campus directors of the Central Valley’s 28 institutions of higher education who make up the CVHEC Board of Directors.

They were established during the board’s retreat Aug. 20 when the leaders from colleges and universities across California’s Central Valley gathered at the University of California, Merced campus to chart a strategic course for the next three to five years that advances CVHEC’s 23-year mission to enhance its 10-county region’s college going rates and increase degree and certificate attainment rates.

At the retreat, CVHEC board chair Dr. Juan Sánchez Muñoz, chancellor of University of California Merced, said, “We need to work together to support our students. We’re here to create a vision for how we celebrate.”

During board of directors quarterly meeting Dec. 2 in Visalia, conversations were held about each advisory board …[anything to note here from that meeting? Or other quotes about the new project?]

Durán said the advisory board liaisons bring great experience to this “earnest and collaborative discussion about the future direction” now being undertaken by CVHEC’s leaders.

“They are all former chancellors or presidents of a Central Valley college and served previously on the CVHEC Board of Directors representing their respective campus who came to work for CVHEC after retirement as consultant leads for our various initiatives,” Duran said.

Carrizosa and Burke are the leads for CVHEC’s Central Valley Transfer Project; Clark is the dual enrollment lead; and Bennett is the Master’s Upskilling Program English mentors coordinator. [what’s missing?]

Duran said their primary purpose as advisory board liaisons is to champion progress in each stream area  by _______. [what kinds of things will the liaisons do – chair meetings? General staff-type support?]

“Overall they will help lead CVHEC’s focus and direction in the next three years as we continue to foster and maintain a regional collaboration dedicated to student access, retention and completion for our students.”

Duran also noted that as the board and CVHEC staff prepare to pursue this new work through these four advisory boards, the consortium is not abandoning the areas of focus the last few years.

“We will continue to support initiatives such as our Central Valley Transfer Project and the efforts around implementing dual enrollment throughout the valley such as the Master’s Upskilling Program and its mentor component,” Duran said (see the September e-newsletter).  “Additionally, our English Task Force and the Math Task Force will continue their remarkable groundbreaking work. And the Central Valley Math Bridge program with College Bridge is also in full swing throughout our 10-county region now.”

He said these initiatives and strategies are “progressing successfully and require less maintenance so now we’re focusing on launching new-direction strategic projects in 2026.”

[Close with any reference to the summit? will there be an update there, or how will the summit complement the streams — vice versa?].

CVHEC ADVISORY BOARD STREAMS — Full Roster

WORKSTREAM 1: DATA SHARING AND REGIONAL DASHBOARDS

Dr. Lena Tran, chancellor – Yosemite Community College District

Dr. Britt Rios-Ellis, president – Stanislaus State

Dr. Carole Goldsmith, chancellor – State Center Community College District

Dr. Sean Hancock, president – College of the Sequoias

CVHEC team liaison: Dr. Kristin Clark

WORKSTREAM 2: Workforce Aligned Program Development

Dr. Jerry Buckley, president – Reedley College

Sandra Franco Armstrong, campus director – National University [?]

Dr. Chad Redwing, president – Columbia College

Dr. Carla Tweed, president – Coalinga College

Primavera Monarrez, interim president – Porterville College

Dr. Vernon Harper, president – California State University, Bakersfield

CVHEC team liaisons: Stan Carrizosa and Dr. Lori Bennett

WORKSTREAM 3: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)

James Preston, president – Lemoore College

Dr. Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval, president – Fresno State

Dr. Angel Reyna, president – Madera College

Dr. Jose M. Barral Sanchez, dean – UCSF-Fresno Center

Dr. Lisa Aguilera Lawrenson, president – Delta College

CVHEC team liaisons: Dr. Kristin Clark and Tom Burke

WORKSTREAM 4: ENROLLMENT, RECONNECT

Dr. Kim Armstrong, president – Clovis Community College

Dr. Stacy Pfluger, president – Bakersfield College

Dr. Leslie Minor, president – Taft College

Sandra Franco Armstrong, campus director – National University [?]

CVHEC team liaison: Tom Burke

LINKS

•Board retreat produces 4 advisory boards for goal development

•Central Valley higher ed leaders retreat for strategic planning

ALTERNATIVE LEAD (to be developed) or use in directors message

Over the past 10 years, CVHEC core team has accomplished significant progress in two key areas – dual enrolment and transfer – and now sets its sights on new strategy initiatives undertaken by the board of directors announcing key team assignments.

In strategy discussions held during the board of directors retreat Aug.20 2025, the CEOs of the consortium’s 28 members met to establish four new key areas with advisory boards made up of board members (the college CEOs).

Now, CVHEC executive director Benjamin Duran announces the assignment of CVHEC team members to serve as liaisons with the advisory boards: