Cody Casares / The Advocate

(FILE PHOTO) President Mojdeh Mehdizadeh speaks to members of audience, answering questions about her platform during the presidential forum on March 3, 2016 in the Knox Center.

Several months ago, Contra Costa Community College District’s governing board announced the search for a permanent Chancellor. 

According to district leaders, the search has closed and the district has received applicants. 

So, what are the next steps?

According to a press release, the board is aiming to select the new chancellor by December, with the person starting the job in January 2024. 

“We look forward to the recruitment of our permanent chancellor,” said Board President Fernando Sandoval in a summer press release. “I join my fellow trustees in welcoming our students, constituency groups, and community’s involvement on choosing the district’s next leader who is equipped to carry on our legacy of affordable and high quality higher education.” 

The district has now closed the hiring position and leaders are now in the process of reviewing the applicants. The first rounds of interviews will take place in the first couple of weeks of October. Finalist candidates will become public on October 16. 

“4CD is one of the top community college districts in the State and we have received impressive interest in the position,” stated Dr. Micaela Ochoa, the district’s executive vice chancellor, in an email. “We are in the process of reviewing the submitted applications and confident we have a competitive pool of candidates for this leadership role.”  

With the great turnout of candidates that the board has received for the position, there are some skills that the future chancellor must have, mentioned Ochoa.

Some of the qualities that a candidate should have that Ochoa highlighted include an “ability to establish a strong partnership with the Governing Board and create an atmosphere of mutual respect and open communication between the Governing Board and all constituent groups” and a “strong understanding of complex fiscal issues facing California Community Colleges.” 

The board is suggesting the community make time to attend the public forum, which will be held on November 6.

Ochoa noted that information about the final candidates and forum times will be shared the week of October 16. 

“We also plan to place links to forum recordings so that anyone who couldn’t attend the scheduled public forums, will still have an opportunity to view the recordings and provide input to the Governing Board for their consideration,” she said. 

Ochoa mentioned that the timeline of the process and more detailed information about the search will be available at the district’s website. 

Interim Chancellor Mojdeh Mehdizadeh has been in the top district job since early last year, when the former chancellor, Bryan Reece – who had twice been put on administrative leave since taking the job in 2020 – resigned. 

Reece had been investigated for alleged improper conduct regarding vendor contracts, according to documents released by the district last year and reported on by the Los Medanos Experience.