June 3, 2003
(DALLAS) —
Members of the Dallas County Community College District's board of
trustees gave their final approval to hire Dr. Jesus Carreon as DCCCD's
fifth chancellor during the group's regular monthly meeting on Tues.,
June 3. The nomination was approved unanimously during a public vote by
board members following a 21-day waiting period.
Carreon,
DCCCD's first minority chancellor, will fill the position vacated by Dr.
William Wenrich, who retires on Aug. 31 after almost 13 years with the
district. Carreon has served as president of Portland (Ore.) Community
College since 2001; PCC is a three-campus system that serves more than
45,000 students and also offers continuing education and workforce
education programs through several centers.
DCCCD's new
chancellor also has served as superintendent and president of the Rio
Hondo Community College District in Whittier, Calif., and president of
Ventura College in Ventura, Calif. Carreon has held several other
senior-level positions at the community college level and has
private-sector experience as former manager of a family-owned
construction business, Carreon Enterprises.
Carreon, who began
his academic career at a community college, earned an associate's degree
from Grossmont College in San Diego, Calif.; a bachelor's degree in
history from San Diego State University; a master's degree from the
University of California-Irvine, with a specialization in organizational
development and behavior; and a doctorate in higher education from the
University of Southern California, with a specialization in legal issues
in higher education.
Carreon serves on the board of directors
for the American Association of Community Colleges and is AACC's
chair-elect for 2002-2003 and chair for 2003-2004. He also is a member
of the AACC Future Leaders Institute advisory board. He is immediate
past president and a member of the board of directors for the National
Community College Hispanic Council. Carreon serves as a member of the
presidents advisory committee for the Association of Community College
Trustees. He is actively involved with a number of state and local
boards and councils, including the Portland Business Alliance, the
Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, the Providence Health System,
the Progress Board and the Portland Leaders Roundtable.
Carreon
speaks regularly at regional, state and national levels on topics such
as economic development and workforce preparation; leadership and
change; legal issues in community colleges; the impact of demographic
change on America's workforce in the 21st century; and preparation for a
globally competitive and diverse workforce.
DCCCD, the largest
undergraduate institution in Texas, serves more than 63,000 credit and
27,000 noncredit students. The district comprises seven independently
accredited colleges - Brookhaven, Cedar Valley, Eastfield, El Centro,
Mountain View, North Lake and Richland - plus the Dallas TeleCollege,
part of the R. Jan LeCroy Center for Educational Telecommunications; the
Bill J. Priest Institute for Economic Development; a District Service
Center; and a district administrative office in downtown Dallas. DCCCD
was founded in 1965 and has enrolled more than 1 million students in
classes throughout Dallas County, plus distance learners from across the
country and around the world.