LTCC President Murillo named one of three finalists for top spot at Southwestern College

Dr. Kindred Murillo, Superintendent/President of Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC), is a finalist for the same position at Southwestern College (SWC) in Chula Vista.

Murillo and the two other finalists were in Southern California this week to meet with students, faculty and administrators at a public forum on Wednesday. On Monday, December 5, they will have a final interview before the college's governing board.

The finalists are all women. The other two are Dr. Reagan Romali, president of Harry S. Truman College in Chicago, and SWC’s Dr. Angelica Suarez, vice president for student affairs.

Southwestern serves a population of 60 percent Hispanic. Murillo said SWC has the community and student base to help the underserved students achieve. "That is exciting," said Murillo.

"There is not better college in California to do student equity work, the work of ensuring students have the support, regardless of their academic preparation and socioeconomic status to succeed at their educational goals," Murillo told South Tahoe Now. "This issue is a national imperative when you know that we are moving to a plurality or majority-minority nation, and if we cannot attain equity for all students, and close the access and achievement gaps, our nation is going to suffer both socially and economically."

Murillo told the LTCC Board of Trustees in January, 2016 that she was planning to leave within 18 months due to a severe allergy to pine trees, something she was unaware of when arriving in South Lake Tahoe in 2011. At that time, she and the Trustees met to discuss an exit strategy as she wanted to leave the area before Spring, 2017.

Since the announcement, Murillo has been a top finalist for president jobs at Contra Costa College and Santa Barbara City College.

There are four finalists to replace Murillo, who says she will be gone before Spring, 2017. Dr. JoAnna Schilling, Dr. Bryan Reece, Dr. Matthew Wetstein, and Mr. Jeff DeFranco have been through public and private interviews since early-November.

The appointment will be made during the Tuesday, December 6 LTCC Board of Trustees meeting at the college.