Woodland Community College fills key leadership posts; new Lake County dean announced
- Lake County News reports
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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – After an extensive search to fill key management positions that were left vacant last year, Woodland Community College announced it will begin the new academic year with a complete management team that is fully prepared to serve students across three counties.
WCC President Dr. Art Pimentel and the college community welcomed Dr. Cirilo Cortez, dean of the Lake County Campus in Clearlake; Adela Esquivel-Swinson, vice president of student services; Sandra Fowler, dean of career education; and Dr. Shannon Reed, dean of arts and sciences.
They join vice president of instruction, Kasey Gardner, who has been with WCC since November of 2019.
Dr. Cirilo Cortez comes to the college from the University of California Davis where he served as founding director of the Center of Chicanx and Latinx Academic Success Center.
With degrees from Sonoma State and UC Davis and more than 10 years in higher education, across community college, CSU and UC systems, and close ties to the area having grown up in Lake County, Dr. Cortez noted he is “passionate for serving rural communities and for inspiring students to consider higher education as a vehicle for social mobility.”
Dr. Cortez will oversee a diverse student population and will return to Lake County where he grew up.
Adela Esquivel-Swinson will serve as the college’s new vice president of student services. She has more than 20 years of experience in higher education. Her career includes serving diverse community colleges in various capacities across California. Throughout her career, she has championed access and student success.
Prior to joining Woodland Community College, she served as vice president of student affairs at Evergreen Valley College in San Jose. She holds a master’s degree in education with an emphasis in educational leadership and social justice from Antioch University in Santa Barbara and a human services degree with an emphasis in counseling from Notre Dame de Namuir University.
When asked what she is most excited about in this new role, she said, “the opportunity to work with a group of dynamic leaders and in an institution that is student and community-centered.”
Dr. Shannon Reed, a native of Northern California, is returning to the Golden State after working on the East Coast and most recently Regis University in Colorado. She joins the college as its new dean of arts and sciences.
“I grew up in the Central Valley and it feels really good to be coming home. I am excited about joining Woodland Community College because everyone here is so deeply committed to our students,” Reed said.
An alumna of Earlham College, CSU Sacramento and the University of Alabama, Dr. Reed brings years of experience working in higher education both in the classroom and in administration.
With degrees in agribusiness from California Polytechnic State University, a Master’s of Business Administration from Capella University and currently working on her doctorate degree in educational leadership from CSU Sacramento, Sandra Fowler is the new dean of career education.
Fowler has 15 years of experience working in the private industry and served as director of the career and technical education at Yuba Community College. She oversees WCC’s Dual Enrollment Program, which offers college-level courses to high school students in the college’s service area.
Dual Enrollment’s most notable accomplishment because of her continued investment and forward-thinking approach on dual enrollment and helping students achieve their educational and career goals, which includes reinforcing partnerships with community and industry representatives.
Completing the team is the college’s vice president of instruction, Kasey Gardner. Gardner earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Western Kentucky University, a master’s in communication from the University of the Pacific and a Master’s of Business Administration from Saint Mary’s College.
With his work as a professor of communication and director of forensics at Los Medanos College and serving as dean of behavioral and social sciences at Sacramento City College, he brings vast knowledge and understanding of faculty and administrative needs to the college. Evidence of his work ethic and optimism, he has led numerous workgroups and participated in committees at college and district levels to address COVID 19 effects on higher education.
“COVID-19 was a challenge we had not planned for in the past, but it has given us a great chance to collaborate with our community leadership. In the next academic year, I am looking forward to seeing how our new management team and the creativity of our staff combine to deliver great instruction, new services, and enhanced programs for our students,” Gardner said.
With this new leadership team and committed staff, faculty and students, Woodland Community College will start the fall semester on Monday, Aug. 17.