California Community Colleges Names New Chancellor

Sacramento, CA -- The leader of the Long Beach Community College District was named Monday the next chancellor of the California Community Colleges.

Eloy Ortiz Oakley has been superintendent-president of the LBCCD since 2007, and he is credited with improving pathways for high school students to continue to college.

"In Oakley we see a change agent — someone whose relentless focus on student success will help more students obtain certificates and degrees or transfer to four-year institutions on time," California Community Colleges Board of Governors President Geoffrey L. Baum. "As a member of the UC Board of Regents and with his close ties with California State University, he is well- positioned to foster greater collaboration that will benefit all students."

At LBCCD, Oakley helped develop the Long Beach College Promise, a partnership with high school administrators and teachers to create a structured path for students to move from high school to college, guaranteeing students a tuition-free year at Long Beach City College and preferred admissions status to Cal State Long Beach.

Oakley also helped establish Promise Pathways, which uses high school performance grades and transcripts to ensure students are placed in appropriate class levels.

He joined the district in 2002 as assistant superintendent/executive vice president of administrative services. He previously served as vice president of college services at Oxnard College, and assistant vice president of the Coast Community College District. He was appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown to the University of California Board of Regents in 2014.

"In less than a decade at the helm, Eloy has transformedLong Beach City College into a world-class college that serves all facets of the community — students seeking to transfer, career technical education students and adult learners," said Assembly Speaker Ed Rendon, D-Paramount. "His successful work on boosting transfer rates for under-served students and on the Long Beach College Promise program has become a model for colleges statewide."

The California Community Colleges includes 113 colleges serving 2.1 million students in 72 districts.

— City News Service, photo courtesy of the Long Beach Community College District