NORTHERN CALIFORNIA — The search for a new chancellor for the Yuba Community College District has reached a key stage, with finalists named and public forums arranged for early April.

Yuba Community College District’s Search Committee for the next chancellor has chosen four finalists for the position.

The finalists are Dr. Beatriz Espinoza, Dr. Eugene Giovannini, Dr. Shouan Pan and Dr. Wei Zhou.

Dr. Espinoza has spent more than 30 years in higher education. She completed her undergraduate studies in psychology at UT-Pan American, her master’s and doctor’s degrees in rehabilitation psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a post-doctorate in community college leadership at the University of Texas-Austin, and served as a Kellogg Fellow with the Minority Serving Institutions higher education leadership program. Her university and community college experiences expand the roles of faculty, researcher, counselor, director, dean, vice president, vice chancellor and president/CEO across six states.

Dr. Giovannini has 14 years of experience as a community college president and six years of experience as chancellor of a multi-campus community college. In his latest position as Chancellor of Tarrant County College District, Giovannini oversaw six campuses. He also served the Maricopa County Community College District in Arizona as founding President of Maricopa Corporate College in Scottsdale, including 11 years as President of Gateway Community College in Phoenix. Giovannini earned his doctorate in Community College Education from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and his Bachelor of Science in Business Education and Master of Education from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Pan has held several senior-level positions, including as chancellor of Seattle Colleges, president of Mesa Community College, provost of Broward College, South Campus, executive dean of Instruction and Student Services at Florida State College at Jacksonville. As an immigrant, Dr. Pan is deeply passionate about serving the community college mission. Dr. Pan has been actively engaged at both national and local levels, including serving on the Board of Directors for American Association of Community Colleges, League for Innovation in the Community College, National Asian Pacific Islander Council and Arizona Commission for Post-secondary Education.

Dr. Zhou is a University of California, Davis, Center for Community College Leadership and Research Wheelhouse Fellow and California Community College Inaugural CEO Leadership Academy graduate with a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin’s top-ranked doctoral program in education. He has extensive California community college administrative experience in multi-college districts and Hispanic serving institutions, serving large geographical areas including positions as dean of math, science and engineering at Evergreen Valley College, vice president for academic affairs at Copper Mountain College, vice president of instruction and interim president at Cuyamaca College, president of Crafton Hills College and assistant superintendent/vice president of academic affairs at Cerritos College.

More information about each finalist is available on the YCCD website.

As a final step in the selection process, the public, staff and students are invited to attend public forums to be held April 3 to 5 at both Yuba and Woodland Community Colleges.

The public forums will give staff, students and community members an opportunity to meet each finalist, learn about his/her/their vision for the district and answer questions.

The forums can be attended in person or virtually via Zoom using Yuba College Forums Zoom Link or Woodland Community College Forum Zoom Link.

The schedule follows.

Monday, April 3
Woodland Community College, Building 800, 2300 E Gibson Road, Woodland

3 p.m.: Dr. Wei Zhou
4 p.m.: Dr. Eugene Giovannini
5 p.m.: Dr. Beatriz Espinoza

Tuesday, April 4
Yuba College Theatre, 2088 N. Beale Road, Marysville

10 a.m.: Dr. Wei Zhou
11 a.m.: Dr. Eugene Giovannini
12 p.m.: Dr. Beatriz Espinoza

Wednesday: April 5
Yuba College Theatre, 2088 N. Beale Road, Marysville

11:30 a.m.: Dr. Shouan Pan

Wednesday: April 5
Woodland Community College, Building 800, 2300 E Gibson Rd, Woodland

3:30 p.m.: Dr. Shouan Pan

All are encouraged to submit questions for the finalists using this form: Chancellor Finalist Forum Question Suggestions.

Questions will be reviewed for appropriateness and related or similar questions will be grouped together and asked as one question.

After the completion of the forums, attendees may continue to provide feedback on each candidate using the forms located on the Chancellor Search webpage. The feedback forms must be completed by noon on Thursday, April 6.

Community input from the public forums and the feedback forms will be used by the YCCD Board of Trustees in rendering the selection of the new chancellor.

The Board of Trustees will conduct finalist interviews April 3 and 5, and anticipates hiring the new chancellor this spring.

The Board of Trustees hired search firm PPL Inc., to lead the search for a permanent chancellor and appointed the 14-member Search Committee.

The committee is made up of highly-diverse members including faculty, staff, students and community members. The finalists were chosen through a rigorous process and all four interviewed with the entire Committee before the slate of finalists were identified.

Visit the YCCD website for more information about the public forums and the search process.