There’s a new leader for the California community college system, the largest system in the country.
Eloy Ortiz Oakley takes over as the new chancellor on Monday, leading a system of 113 colleges that serves 2.1 million students across California.
Oakley is a nationally recognized leader in public education who has lead the Long Beach Community College District for the past decade. During that time LBCC was recognized as a “best in breed” example of what a community college can be with a wide range of educational offerings, the colleges provide workforce training, basic courses in English and math, certificate and degree programs and preparation for transfer to four-year institutions.
He will become the first Latino chancellor who has provided statewide and national leadership on the issue of improving the education outcomes of historically underrepresented students.
For his efforts, the James Irvine Foundation recognized him with their 2014 Leadership Award. Also in 2014, Governor Brown appointed Oakley to the University of California Board of Regents. In this role, Oakley is using his experiences to better serve all Californians in higher education.
Partnering with the Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) and California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), Oakley helped form the nationally recognized Long Beach College Promise (College Promise).
At California Forward, he was a member of the Leadership Council and was a key contributor to the growth of the California Economic Summit, which has focused on attracting hundreds of private, public and civic leaders from across California's diverse regions.
Oakley recently shared his vision for the community colleges in an interview with CA Fwd.
