|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
A little more than a year after stepping in to temporarily lead the Chabot-Las Positas Community College District, Ronald P. Gerhard was named as permanent chancellor of the district by the Board of Trustees at their Tuesday night meeting. The district has been without a long-term leader since former chancellor Jannett Jackson resigned in August 2018, three months after the Trustees decided to not extend her contract for unspecified reasons.
“I am honored to continue to lead our district in the permanent role of Chancellor,” Gerhard said in a statement. “Our colleges are vital to our communities and I look forward to providing stable leadership in these unpredictable times. I appreciate the support of the board, and I am grateful for their confidence and invitation to continue to serve our communities in this role.”
Gerhard, who has served as district interim chancellor since January 2019, was one of three finalists that were considered for the position, following a second nationwide recruitment effort which started that same month. The other two contenders were Santanu Bandyopadhyay, president of Columbia College in Sonora, and Bryan Reece, former president of Norco College in Riverside County.
“Ron has proven himself as an exemplary leader in our district and community,” said Board President Ed Maduli. “He has a long and successful history in helping our California community colleges become successful institutions of student learning and access. He has been able to help bring our district together, and we are confident that he, along with his leadership team, will guide us through these challenging times.”
An initial nationwide search for a new chancellor following Jackson’s departure turned up three top finalists in late 2018 but no one was selected. Instead, the board appointed Gerhard to serve as interim chancellor of the 29,000-student district starting in January 2019, and started the second recruitment process shortly after.
With more than 20 years of experience in educational administration for California community colleges, district officials said Gerhard “has provided strategic leadership that is student focused and has demonstrated his ability to bring stakeholders together to achieve organizational goals.”
Before joining CLPCCD, Gerhard undertook a number of roles at the district including vice chancellor of business services for CLPCCD and vice president of administrative services at Chabot College. He was also vice chancellor for finance and administration at City College of San Francisco and held various positions for ten years at San Bernardino Community College District, among other professional experiences. Gerhard holds an MBA in finance and accounting from the University of California, Riverside and an accounting BA from the University of Redlands.
According to the district, Gerhard’s monthly salary will be $28,333, effective May 1.
