(VENTURA, Calif.) Dec. 15, 2016 –
The Ventura County Community College District Board of Trustees named Bernardo M. Perez and Arturo Hernández Chair and Vice Chair, respectively. The vote was taken during open session at the Board meeting held on Tuesday, December 13, 2016. Chair Perez and Vice Chair Hernández took their positions immediately following the vote. They will continue to serve alongside Trustees Stephen Blum, Larry Kennedy, Dianne McKay and Student Trustee Josue (Joshua) Ruiz.
Perez joined the Board of Trustees in 2010, having previously represented his community on the Moorpark City Council, including serving as mayor of the City of Moorpark. He formerly held positions with the Workforce Investment Board, the Moorpark Foundation for the Arts, and the Simi Valley Hospital Foundation and was the Project Manager for the Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation in Ventura.
Hernández has served on the VCCCD Board of Trustees since 2000 and more than 25 years on local school boards, including the Oxnard Union High School District and Rio School District Boards. Hernández is a founding member of the Ventura County Community Foundation’s Destino 2000 Legacy Fund and the Vice President of the California Community College Latino Trustees Association. A lifelong Ventura County resident, Hernández is a manager for the County of Ventura Human Services Agency.
I look forward to serving as Chair of the Board of Trustees and continuing the work that my esteemed colleagues and I have begun to better serve the students and citizens in Ventura County,” said Perez. “It is my pleasure to serve as Vice Chair, working closely with Chair Perez. This is a great time for the District as we move forward with plans to hire a permanent Chancellor to lead our efforts in growing the colleges,” added Hernández.
“We thank outgoing Chair Larry Kennedy for his outstanding leadership and the progress that was made to propel the District forward during his time as Chair,” said District Chancellor Bernard Luskin. “We look forward to supporting now Chair Perez and Vice Chair Hernández in their new roles,” added Luskin. The current Board has been working together cohesively since 2012 when Chair Kennedy was first elected. They have 42 years of combined service on the VCCCD Board of Trustees. Besides Kennedy, the remaining Board members have served together since 2010 when Trustees McKay and Perez joined; Trustee Blum has served since 2006 and, again, Hernández since 2000.
Chancellor Bernard Luskin also administered the Oath of Office to Trustees Larry Kennedy and Bernardo M. Perez who remained in office as a result of the November elections.
The Ventura County Community College District is a member of the 113-campus California Community College system, and serves more than 50,000 students annually. The District’s three colleges- Moorpark, Oxnard, and Ventura- offer programs in general education for degrees and certificates, transfer to four-year colleges and universities, career technical education, and provide opportunities to engage in co-curricular campus activities. For more information, please visit www.vcccd.edu.