West Hills Coalinga seeks new president after former president accepts job at El Camino College

Friday, September 3, 2021 - 1:23pm By The Leader Staff

Former WHC Coalinga President Brenda Thames

The West Hills Community College District Board of Trustees and Chancellor Kristin Clark have launched a search for the next president of West Hills College Coalinga. In May, its most recent president, Dr. Brenda Thames, accepted the top job – Superintendent/President of El Camino College – when the college’s board of trustees selected her. She started her new job on July 1.

This is the second change this year within the district. Recently, former West Hills College Lemoore President Kristin Clark left her job to take on the West Hills College District as its chancellor, replacing Dr. Stuart Van Horn, who recently retired.

The district is also seeking a new president for the West Hills College Lemoore campus.

District officials say they are seeking someone with a can-do spirit who is forward-thinking. “The new leader of the College must be someone who will be engaged in the community and who is willing to work with community partners,” said Clark. “They must be willing to roll up their sleeves and be ready to create a new vision for the next chapter in the college’s tradition of outstanding service to our economically and ethnically diverse region.”

West Hills College Coalinga is part of the two-college West Hills Community College District that serves the central San Joaquin Valley. It is predominately rural, and its students are diverse and geographically disbursed.

Established in 1932, West Hills College Coalinga is a community college with many unique characteristics. The school is one of only eleven California community colleges with dormitories in the U.S.

It actively recruits and attracts students from around the world. Besides the traditional athletic programs for women and men, West Hills College, Coalinga is one of a few community colleges that hosts a coed top-ranked rodeo team that competes against two and four-year schools.

For additional information, nominations, and confidential inquiries, please contact:

Benjamin T. Duran, ED.D.

(209) 761-0534

bduran@pplpros.com

Jim Riggs, Ed.D

209-559-6550 (cell)

krigs@pplpros.com

or visit https://westhillscollege.com/coalinga/president-search/