The Columbia College Presidential Search Committee has selected five finalists in the search for the next President of Columbia College.

The finalists are:

· Nicole Albo-Lopez, Ed.D. — Interim Vice President, Student Services and Economic & Workforce Development, Los Angeles Harbor College – Los Angeles, CA

· Val Martinez Garcia, M.S. — Vice President of Student Services, West Hills College Lemoore – Lemoore, CA

· Joseph Piazza, Ed.D. — State Supervisor of Career and Technical Education, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation – Sacramento, CA

· Brian Sanders, Ed.D. — Vice President of Instruction, Columbia College – Sonora, CA

· Lena Tran, Ed.D. — Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Workforce Innovation, San Jose City College – San Jose, CA

The search committee was chaired by Dr. G.H. Javaheripour, who currently serves as the Interim President of Columbia College. Initial interviews were completed and the names of the five finalists have been forwarded to Chancellor Henry Yong and the YCCD Board of Trustees.

Open forums for the finalists are scheduled for Thursday and Friday via Zoom. Each finalist will be given an opportunity to discuss their preparation for the position, their education and leadership philosophy, concluding with a time to respond to questions from the forum attendees. The forums will be open to the public and can be accessed from the links provided below.

The schedule for the candidate forums is as follows:

— Dec. 9:

9 a.m. Brian Sanders, Ed.D., link to forum: https://cccconfer.zoom.us/j/91608677279

2 p.m. Val Martinez Garcia, M.S., link to forum: https://cccconfer.zoom.us/j/91910117513

— Dec. 10:

9 a.m. Joseph Piazza, Ed.D., link to forum: https://cccconfer.zoom.us/j/98736353191

11 a.m. Nicole Albo-Lopez, Ed.D., link to forum: https://cccconfer.zoom.us/j/93435114384

2 p.m. Lena Tran, Ed.D., link to forum: https://cccconfer.zoom.us/j/94716378348