Four finalists announced for Lake Tahoe Community College President job

The four finalists for the position of Lake Tahoe Community College's Superintendent/President have been announced, and the public will have the opportunity to meet them in a forum on November 17 in the school's Aspen Board room at 9:00 a.m.

Dr. JoAnna Schilling, Dr. Bryan Reece, Dr. Matthew Wetstein, and Mr. Jeff DeFranco will all participate in the forum and share their visions for the South Lake Tahoe campus. They will all make a statement and answer questions starting at 9:00 a.m., with a lunch break from 12:45 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., and a continuation of the forum until approximately 3:30 p.m.

All community members, students, faculty, and staff are invited to attend. A detailed forum schedule is available online at www.LTCC.edu/news. For those who cannot attend the public forums, links to a live stream will be provided on the college’s website at www.LTCC.edu/news, and also on the college’s Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/LakeTahoeCommunityCollege.

After the forums are concluded, LTCC’s Board of Trustees will interview the four finalists on Friday, November 18, and will conduct any additional deliberations thereafter as needed. A final selection will be announced by the trustees at their Tuesday, December 6 meeting.

The four finalists will be vying for the spot being left vacant by the departure of Dr. Kindred Murillo who told the school's Board of Trustees in January that her allergies to pine trees was so severe she'd have to leave Tahoe. She has since applied for college jobs in Santa Barbara and Contra Costa County.

Mr. Jeff DeFranco is the current Vice President of Administrative Services at Lake Tahoe Community College, where he oversees bond management, fiscal services, facilities, information technology, and purchasing. He has served in this capacity since 2012. As a lifelong educator committed to supporting quality instructional programs and student success, he has worked in multiple educational settings, including K-12, community college, and at four-year institutions. Before LTCC, Mr. DeFranco worked for the Springfield School District in Oregon for nine years as a senior level district administrator. Over his career, Mr. DeFranco has worked in the areas of leadership and oversight of fiscal, facility, technology, bonds, grants, development, government affairs, and public relations for various educational organizations. Mr. DeFranco earned his bachelor’s degree from California State University, Chico, and his master's degree in Educational Leadership with an emphasis in Higher Education Administration from the University of Oregon. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Global Leadership and Change from Pepperdine University. He possesses a strong commitment to leadership development, creating curriculum for the Rotary Youth Leadership Academy for the past 10 years and serving as co-chair for Leadership Lake Tahoe this past year.

Dr. JoAnna Schilling currently serves as Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs at Rio Hondo College in Whittier, CA, where she also previously served in multiple roles as the Dean of Arts and Cultural Programs, Continuing and Contract Education, and Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs from 2006-2012. From 2012 to 2016, Dr. Schilling served at Cerritos College in Norwalk, CA, as Vice President of Academic Affairs/Assistant Superintendent. She has a doctoral degree in education from Oregon State University, an MFA in playwriting from Carnegie Mellon University, and a bachelor’s in English from Smith College. She currently serves as the co-chair on the Chancellor’s Office Curriculum Inventory project (COCI) and also sits on the statewide CIO Executive Board representing the Orange County/Los Angeles County region. Dr. Schilling is a playwright, screenwriter, and a classically trained vocalist. Prior to working in higher education, she was a literary associate and educator in the professional conservatory at South Coast Repertory Theatre. She has been a contributing editor for Dog Fancy magazine, and is the author of three “Dog Lover Companion” books for Avalon Travel Publishing/Perseus Books.

Dr. Bryan Reece is Vice President of Instruction at Crafton Hills College in Yucaipa, CA, where he is responsible for academic programs, schedule development, faculty training, learning resources, program quality, education master planning and other matters related to the academic life of faculty and students. He holds a doctoral, master’s and bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Southern California and has over 26 years of community college experience, including in teaching and a broad range administrative/leadership positions. Dr. Reece is an awarded teacher, a published author, and is a frequent speaker with expertise in educational technology. He has worked extensively with legislative bodies and government agencies at the local, state and federal levels. Prior to his current position, Dr. Reece held two dean’s positions, served as the Academic Senate President, co-founded the Civic Resource Group, and taught in the Political Science Department at Cerritos College in Norwalk, CA.

Dr. Matt Wetstein has been the Assistant Superintendent/Vice President of Instruction and Planning at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, CA, since February 2012. Prior to that, he served as Dean of Agriculture, Science and Math, and as Dean of Planning, Research and Institutional Effectiveness at Delta College. Dr. Wetstein earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of St. Francis, and both a master’s and doctoral degree in political science from Northern Illinois University. He started his academic career as a political science professor, and he has won teaching awards from both students and his peers, including the Academic Senate's Distinguished Faculty Award. He has been a statewide leader in the planning and research field, serving on the Board and as President of the Research and Planning Group of California Community Colleges. Dr. Wetstein is a member of the pioneering cohort of Aspen Institute Presidential Fellows for Community College Excellence, a group of 40 community college leaders selected for training in leadership and transformational change at U.S. community colleges.

For more information about LTCC’s Superintendent/President candidate forums, please contact LTCC Human Resources Director Shelley Hansen at (530) 541-4660 ext. 269, or send an email to Hansen@ltcc.edu.