State Center Community College District (SCCCD) Chancellor Carole Goldsmith will serve out the remainder of her term as a visiting executive with the California Community College Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) .
Goldsmith, who announced her upcoming retirement last year, will work with the CCCCO on loan from SCCCD, giving day-to-day operations of the district to Deputy Chancellor Christine Holt-McDonald.
Flashback: Following a three-decade career in education, Goldsmith announced last November that she will retire in September.
The big picture: Last week, the SCCCD board voted 5-2 to approve a memorandum of understanding to loan Goldsmith to the CCCCO.
Trustees Magdalena Gomez and Destiny Rodriguez cast the two votes against approving the MOU.
In her position with the CCCCO, Goldsmith will serve as a project coordinator for the Rural Serving College and District Infrastructure Technical Assistance Project, as well as related activities.
While she will mostly work out of Sacramento, Goldsmith will remain available to consult the SCCCD board.
What we’re watching: Goldsmith will serve with the CCCCO for a six-month term, taking her to her planned retirement in September.
The SCCCD board is also gearing up to start its search for Goldsmith’s replacement.
What they’re saying: “I want to be clear, this is not a departure,” Goldsmith said during last week’s meeting. “This is a strategic evolution of the work that we’ve been leading here at this district.”
Goldsmith said she will remain engaged, accessible and accountable to the board, as the move does not create a vacancy.
“Importnatly, this opportunity reflects the strength of this district,” Goldsmith said. “It elevates State Center visibility and influence at the state level and positions us to be a model of innovation and partnership.”
Several people spoke against the board approving the MOU during the public comment portion of the meeting. Board President Rob Fuentes acknowledged their opposition, calling back to the vote of no confidence in Goldsmith from the faculty union last November. Fuentes pitched Goldsmith’s new role with the CCCCO as a path forward for those who have had issues with Goldsmith.
Fuentes said Goldsmith’s move provides a major change to the district’s operations.
“It will be a concrete change, and I believe however inelegant, an attempt at a viable path forward as opposed to hypothetical,” Fuentes said. “And with that path forward is moving forward with the new CEO search.”