Executive Director

Dr. Benjamin T. Duran is a highly respected higher education leader, teacher and former president of Merced Community College in California.  He retired as superintendent/president of the Merced Community College District in 2012 after serving 22 years in the district with the last 14 years as the CEO.

As a statewide higher education leader, Dr. Duran chaired the California Community College League’s Commission on the Future and was appointed by Chancellor Jack Scott to the California Community College Chancellor’s Office Student Success Task Force. During his tenure he chaired the Community College League’s CEO Board, which led to his participation in the development of the Chancellor’s Office Statewide Strategic Plan. He served for twelve years on the Chancellor’s Office Economic and Workforce Development Advisory Committee. As a regional leader, he is now Executive Director of the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC), an organization that brings together community college, independent, and university CEOs to collaborate on higher education issues in the Central Valley of California.