West Hills College trustees approve appointment of new WHC Lemoore president

Clark will replace longtime West Hills Lemoore administrator and President Don Warkentin, who retires in December.

The choice of Dr. Clark comes on the heels of a national search which yielded 43 candidates. Nine were interviewed for the position. Three finalists came back for two days of presentations to faculty, staff and the public, followed by individual interviews with Gornick, who made the final recommendation.

Gornick said Dr. Clark “comes to us from Orange Coast College – one of the larger multi-college districts in the state. She brings with her a wide variety of experiences and practices that served her well in understanding the mission of the community college, which also made her very compatible with our vision, ‘The relentless pursuit of student success.’ Her colleagues described her as the ‘go to person’ at the college when issues needed to be resolved in a collegial manner or when new initiatives needed a champion. 

“Her understanding of the multi-college district and the challenges facing California community colleges makes her the ideal candidate to be the next President of West Hills College Lemoore.”

Dr. Clark has worked at OCC since 1999 when she was hired as Director of Admissions, Records and Enrollment Technology. Prior to that, she had been the Registrar for California National University in North Hills for five years.  In 2007, she became OCC’s Dean of Enrollment Services and was promoted to her current VP position in 2010. She has taught at Pepperdine, Golden West College and most recently at OCC and CSU Fullerton.

At a public forum in Lemoore recently, the educator talked about her life as a California native growing up in a rural community, being a member of the 4H Club, riding horses and her love of small town living. She is a first generation college student. “I believe in what community colleges can do for people,” she said.

Answering questions from those attending the forum, she said: “What gets me through difficult days is honesty and building relationships, and being part of something bigger,” She relates to older students. “I went back to college at 32. I realized if I wanted to do something that made a difference, I knew I had to get my education.”

Dr. Clark told the students and others in the audience that her background was ideal for the Lemoore presidency. “I love small towns and I know the uniqueness of the California community college system. West Hills College Lemoore is a great college.”

She holds a BS in Business & Management from University of Phoenix, a Master’s in Educational Technology from Pepperdine, and a Doctorate in Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania.