Beloved Tri-Valley Community and Education Leader Dies

Announcement, photo submitted by Chabot Las Positas Community College District:

We are deeply saddened that Barbara F. Mertes, Ph.D., has passed away after 85 wonderful years. Barbara’s brilliance, energy and passion for education, specifically community colleges, enriched our lives and the countless others that she touched. Dr. Mertes had a career that spanned more than three decades including being a founding member of Las Positas College, District Vice Chancellor of Institutional Planning and Facilities Development, and working on education policy issues at the state, national and international levels.

Dr. Mertes was born and raised in Livermore. She attended Livermore public schools and earned her Ph.D. from UC Berkeley. In 1975, she founded Chabot College Valley Campus, which later became Las Positas College in 1988. As the District Vice Chancellor of Institutional Planning and Facilities Development, Dr. Mertes secured over 100 million dollars in competitive grants and allocations outside regular operating budgets for the continued development of facilities and programs at both Chabot and Las Positas Colleges. She created partnerships between the colleges and surrounding businesses and public agencies in order to leverage resources and to improve the quality of instruction. It had been her strong desire to shape policies that will keep the opportunity for higher education available to every citizen and to make the colleges important resources for the economic, social and cultural development of our communities.

Dr. Mertes served on the Chabot-Las Positas Community College District Board of Trustees for fourteen years, representing Area 7, which included the city of Livermore and portions of Pleasanton.

“Dr. Mertes was a very compassionate and dedicated Board Member since 2000. She was highly respected by her peers on the Board as well as the community. She has always put students and the colleges first when making decisions on the Board. Dr. Mertes will be greatly missed as a member of the Board and our community; and her knowledge and history with the colleges and District will be hard to replace,” said Mr. Donald L. “Dobie” Gelles, president of the Board of Trustees.

In October 2010, Las Positas College celebrated the dedication of the Barbara Fracisco Mertes Center for the Arts. Dr. Mertes, even after retirement, maintained her involvement with the college through its foundation which was co-founded by her late husband Dr. David Mertes.

Barry Schrader, a trustee emeritus of the district, and a close friend of Barbara and David Mertes for more than 30 years, described her as “a brilliant educator, a gracious lady… she was indefatigable in her efforts to make Las Positas College a fully-accredited campus and should be credited with its founding and ultimate success as the fine institution it is today.”

“Dr. Mertes provided a foundation for the success of our community and our students, and she leaves behind a legacy of leadership, mentorship and a College that provides our community with opportunities for economic success,” said Dr. Jannett Jackson, Chancellor of the Chabot-Las Positas Community College District.

In conjunction with Dr. Mertes’ family, the Chabot-Las Positas Community College District is planning a celebration of her extraordinary life on Saturday, September 26, 2015. The event is open to the community and will take place at Las Positas College, in the Barbara F. Mertes Center for the Arts Main Theater, doors will open at 12:30 p.m.

No words can adequately express our sadness at Dr. Mertes’ death or our gratitude for the opportunity to work with her. We will honor her memory by dedicating ourselves to continuing the work she loved so much.

The Chabot-Las Positas Community College District was founded in 1961 and serves the San Francisco East Bay Area, particularly southern Alameda County, through its two colleges: Chabot College in Hayward and Las Positas College in Livermore. The colleges specialize in university transfer, technical training, continuing education, workforce development, contract education with local businesses and cultural enrichment. The district serves 24,500 students and employs more than 2,000 administrators, faculty and classified staff.

Members of a seven-member Board of Trustees set policy for the district. They are elected from trustee areas by the registered voters of nine communities: Livermore, Dublin, Pleasanton, Sunol, Castro Valley, San Lorenzo, San Leandro, Hayward and Union City.