Months after announcing plans for an end-of-March 2020 retirement, district Chancellor Fred Wood again shocked the Contra Costa Community College District (CCCCD) community when he announced plans to vacate his post three months sooner than expected.

Dr. Wood initially made shock waves when he announced in a July 17 email to colleagues that his final day in service as chancellor would be March 31, 2020.

However, at the Nov. 13 Governing Board meeting held at Diablo Valley College, Wood informed board trustees that he will retire earlier than planned due to a major family medical issue.

The chancellor said his goal was to be involved with the hiring of the interim chancellor and he hoped to create a path for a smooth transition, but he was in a situation where he had to choose between his family and his job. Understandably, he chose his family.

“My son had a terribly disfiguring accident. I’ve been pulled away from the district a lot,” Wood said. “I can’t continue helping my family and working as chancellor. I have to be fair to students and to the district.”

Wood said he is confident that the district will continue to thrive due to the great leadership and wonderful employees that serve the students of Contra Costa County.

“The Governing Board will make an appointment of an interim/acting chancellor who will start service at the beginning of the new year,” he said.

He also said students and employees in the district will be receiving more information regarding the recruitment of the next chancellor.

The district intends to move forward with the hiring of the next chancellor by following regulations laid out in Board Policy 2057.

According to the policy, the Screening and Interview committees for the position of chancellor shall be comprised of the following members from the college/district undergoing the search — one representative proposed by management council, one representative proposed by United Faculty and three representatives proposed by the Faculty Senate Coordinating Council.

There will also be one representative proposed by Local 1, two representatives proposed by the Classified Senate Coordinating Council, one representative from the Confidential Employees Group, one representative proposed by the associated student body presidents and one alternate.

To fill out the selection process, there will be eight appointments by the Governing Board. They will include two contract administrators and one Governing Board member, selected by a vote of the board.

There will also be up to five community representatives, one appointed by each Governing Board member, one non-voting representative proposed by the District Equal Employment Opportunity Advisory Committee (DEEOAC).

The Governing Board or designee shall give final approval of the Screening and Interview committees composition.

The chairpersons of each committee shall be appointed by Governing Board vote.

Academic Senate President Katherine Krolikowski said the district faculty senate Coordinating Council is the representative body for the three senate bodies (CCC, Diablo Valley College and Los

Medanos College) that represents faculty of the three colleges in the district.

“In our next meeting on Dec. 3 we will talk about how they will get nominations to that committee,” Krolikowski said. “I’m sure we will talk about our procedure on making the decision on who will serve.”

CCC Interim President Damon Bell said, “This is a districtwide decision and I’m sure the board is doing its best to determine who will continue leading us.”

The district Governing Board met at the George R. Gordon Education Center on Nov. 4 for a special meeting where it decided who will conduct the search for the next chancellor.

Wood said the Governing Board heard presentations from Collaborative Brain Trust and Academic Search, Inc., and following discussion, chose Collaborative Brain Trust to conduct an executive search for the next chancellor.

The contract agreement was created and then approved at the Nov. 13 Governing Board meeting at DVC.