Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Acting administrators in place

     This morning, the district community received Interim Chancellor Debra Fitzsimons’ latest edition of “Chancellor’s Perspective,” entitled EMBRACING OPPORTUNITY IN A TIME OF CHANGE.
     Here’s an excerpt:
...This summer has been a time of transition for the South Orange County Community College District, but it is also a time of great opportunity. Changes in leadership and a large number of retirements will no doubt bring many changes to our district, but I am confident that thoughtful collaboration will ease the transition and allow us to embrace the opportunities that lie ahead.
     Leadership changes bring us three long-time and highly regarded college administrators who will serve in acting roles in our district. We are fortunate to have these administrators help us through our time of transition and I look forward to introducing them to all employees during professional development week.
     Denise Whittaker joined us as acting president of Saddleback College on July 1st. Denise has an impressive background as a college administrator, having served as president, vice president, dean, faculty, and counselor at colleges across the state and country, and has held leadership roles at Palo Verde, Southwestern, Orange Coast, San Bernardino Valley, El Camino, Oxnard, and Citrus Colleges. Denise’s experience is already proving to be invaluable and she has impressed us with her extensive knowledge and thoughtful approach to leading the college during this time of change.
     Recruitment for the new permanent president is underway and we invite all employees to attend the President Candidate Public Forums to be held during professional development week on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 1:30-3:00 pm in MSE 313. The forums will offer opportunities to hear from each of the finalists on their background and experience, educational philosophy, and vision for Saddleback College. Attendees will have an opportunity to submit questions for the candidates and provide feedback on them.
     The recruitment for the vice chancellor of human resources is also underway and we are happy to welcome Diane Clerou as our acting vice chancellor beginning July 25th. Diane served as vice chancellor of human resources at State Center Community College District and has vast experience in business and industrial management and labor and employee relations. We also welcome Jim Buysse who will be acting vice chancellor of business services beginning August 1st. Jim served as interim chancellor and vice chancellor of administration and finance at Riverside Community College District, and was previously the chief administrative officer at De Anza College.
     Additionally, we are in the recruitment process for the executive director of public/private partnerships, a new position that will focus on establishing long-lasting partnerships for the ATEP site, which will help with program development so that courses are aligned with workforce needs. The site is “shovel ready” after the recent groundbreaking of ATEP’s first permanent building which will house numerous career technical education programs for Irvine Valley College.…

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