Oxnard College, Ventura College pick finalists to replace presidents

Isaiah Murtaugh, Ventura County Star
·4 min read

Two of Ventura County's three community colleges announced Thursday that their respective hunts for new presidents have kicked into high gear.

Ventura College said that it has narrowed down to five finalists its search for a successor to President Kim Hoffmans. She is set to retire on June 30.

Oxnard College named three finalists to fill the seat opened up in May 2022 when former President Luis Sanchez was placed on paid administrative leave during an investigation into his conduct.

More: Documents shed new light on probe of ex-Oxnard College president

The twin presidential searches could bring added stability to a district that has spent the last several years with its top leadership in flux.

Chancellor Rick MacLennan replaced Greg Gillespie who retired in 2022. The district formally fired Sanchez in January 2023, naming Oscar Cobian as interim president in his stead.

Hoffmans, president since 2019, announced her retirement in September, leaving Moorpark College's third-year president Julius Sokenu as the district's longest-tenured top leader.

Kimberly Hoffmans
Kimberly Hoffmans

Lisa Putnam, a district spokesperson, said in an email Thursday that the district hired the nonprofit Association of Community College Trustees to lead nationwide candidate searches for the two roles. The nonprofit guided hiring committees through the search process and in March will facilitate public candidate forums at the two colleges, Putnam said.

Cobian is one of the three finalists for Oxnard College along with outside candidates Claudia Lourido-Habib and Roberto Gonzalez.

Jennifer Kalfsbeek-Goetz, a vice president at Ventura College, is a finalist for the college's top spot. Lourido-Habib and Gonzalez are also being considered for the Ventura job joined by out-of-district finalists Monica Chahal and Vinicio López.

Oxnard College finalists

Each of the three Oxnard College finalists have been given a designated day on campus between March 25-28. Gonzalez will go first on March 25, followed by Cobian on March 26 and Lourido-Habib on March 28.

They will appear in open forums at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the main auditorium of the campus performing arts building. The hourlong forums are open to the campus community and the general public and end with a question-and-answer session.

The finalists are:

  • Oscar Cobian: A former Oxnard College vice president, was appointed as the college's acting president when Sanchez was placed on leave and later promoted to interim president. He has a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Southern California.

  • Roberto Gonzalez: The vice president of student services, enrollment management and equity initiatives at West Los Angeles College and a former dean at Santa Monica College. Gonzalez has a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Southern California.

  • Claudia Lourido-Habib: The president of Porterville College and former vice president of Madera Community College Center and Oakhurst Community College Center. She earned a doctorate in education and leadership from CSU Fresno State.

Ventura College finalists

Each Ventura College candidate will get a one-day campus visit between March 11-21.

Lourido-Habib will lead off on March 11, followed on March 12 by Kalfsbeek-Goetz, Vinicio López will visit the campus on March 19, Monica Chahal on March 20 and Gonzalez on March 21 to round out the series.

During their visits, the finalists will be at hourlong open forums at 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. in the college performing arts center.

In addition to Gonzalez and Lourido-Habib, the other finalists are:

  • Monica Chahal: The vice president of instruction at Clovis Community College and former dean of instruction at Woodland Community College. She has a doctorate in educational leadership from UC Davis.

  • Jennifer Kalfsbeek-Goetz: The vice president of Academic Affairs at Ventura College. She previously served as the dean of student learning and Title IX coordinator at Moorpark College. Kalfsbeek-Goetz earned a doctorate in educational leadership from Capella University in Minnesota.

  • Vinicio López: The vice president of instruction at Skyline College in San Bruno and former campus dean for the Mission Campus of the City College of San Francisco. López holds a doctorate in educational leadership, administration and policy at Pepperdine University in Malibu.

Individuals with questions regarding the process can reach out to Julie Golder, the Association of Community College Trustees search consultant leading the search process, at jgolder@acct.org or 202-384-5816.

Isaiah Murtaugh covers education for the Ventura County Star in partnership with Report for America. Reach him at isaiah.murtaugh@vcstar.com or 805-437-0236 and follow him on Twitter @isaiahmurtaugh and @vcsschools. You can support this work with a tax-deductible donation to Report for America.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Oxnard College, Ventura College pick finalists to replace presidents