Five finalists selected for Cuyamaca College presidency

May 16, 2023 at 1:45 PM

The five finalists selected for Cuyamaca presidency.

EL CAJON – Five educators with extensive experience working at community colleges have been chosen as finalists to serve as the next president of Cuyamaca College.

The position of Cuyamaca College president opened last summer, after former president Julie Barnes accepted an offer to become chancellor of the South Orange County Community College District.

The finalists include:

·         Nicole Jones, vice president of student services at Compton College since January 2022. Jones previously served as dean of counseling services at Cuyamaca College from 2015 to 2022, and as an associate professor and department chair at Cuyamaca from 2012 to 2015. Jones is expected to receive a doctorate in Leadership Studies, Organizational Coaching and Consulting from the University of San Diego in 2023. She earned a master’s degree in Counseling, Marriage, and Family Therapy from San Diego State University; and a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement from California State University, Long Beach.

·         Nathaniel Jones III, Ph.D., acting vice chancellor of finance and administration for the Peralta Community College District since 2022. Previously, he served as president of the College of Alameda starting in 2020. Dr. Jones earned a doctorate in Public Policy from the University of Maryland; a master’s degree in Business Administration from Loyola University; and a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Maryland.

·         Michael Odu, Ph.D., vice president of instruction at San Diego Miramar College since 2021. He previously served as dean of mathematics, science, and engineering at Southwestern College from 2016 to 2021. Dr. Odu earned a doctorate in Mathematics Education from the Florida Institute of Technology; a master’s degree in Mathematical Sciences from the University of Central Florida; and a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from the University of Central Florida.

·         Jessica Robinson, Ed.D., Cuyamaca College’s interim president since 2022. Previously, she served as vice president of student services from 2018 to 2022. Dr. Robinson also served as an interim associate dean for academic affairs from 2017 to 2018 at the College of Health and Human Services at San Diego State University. She received a doctorate in Educational Leadership from San Diego State University; a master’s degree in Social Work from San Diego State University; a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences from San Diego State University; and an associate degree in General Arts from Cuyamaca College.

·         Brian Sanders, Ed.D., interim vice president of instruction at Modesto Junior College since 2022. Previously, he served as vice president of instruction at Columbia College from 2016 to 2022, as well as interim vice president of college and administrative services at Columbia College from 2015 to 2016. Dr. Sanders holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership from a joint program of the University of California, Davis and Sonoma State University; a master’s degree in Mathematics from the University of Oregon, Eugene; and a bachelor’s degree in Mathematical Sciences from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Each of the five candidates will appear in a public forum that will also be livestreamed. The forums will be held from 1-2 p.m. in the Student Center at Cuyamaca College, rooms I-207/I-208/I-209. Livestream links are hyperlinked below.

·         May 17: Brian Sanders, Ed.D.

·         May 18: Nathaniel Jones III, Ph.D.

·         May 19: Nicole Jones

·         May 22: Michael Odu, Ph.D.

·         May 23: Jessica Robinson, Ed.D.

 

After the forums, the Governing Board and Chancellor Lynn Neault will interview the finalists, and the Governing Board will approve the final candidate. The new president is expected to be in place by August.