The Riverside Community College District Board of Trustees announced its officers for 2018-19.
Tracey Vackar, for the second consecutive year, will serve as Board president. Vackar was first elected to the Board of Trustees in 2014 and then re-elected last month. She is the executive director of College, Career and Economic Development for the Fontana Unified School District. Prior to being elected to the RCCD Board, Vackar served 22 years as a trustee for the Moreno Valley Unified School District Board of Education. She brings experience in developing programs for career pathways and early college credit courses that give students college opportunities.
“It is an honor to serve on the Board of Trustees and to be able to advocate the incredible programs offered at Moreno Valley, Norco and Riverside City colleges,” Vackar said.
Mary Figueroa, the longest serving trustee, was first elected to the Board in 1995, and will serve as vice president. Figueroa is also a board member for the California Community College Trustees. Figueroa retired from the State of California Department of Corrections, where she was a correctional counselor.
Elected to the Board in 2016, Bill Hedrick had a successful career in public education as a teacher and advocate. Prior to winning a seat on the RCCD Board of Trustees, he served as a member of the Corona-Norco Unified School District Board of Education. He Hedrick will serve as the Board’s secretary.
Virginia Blumenthal and Jose Alcala will serve as members. Blumenthal, who won reelection this past November, is in her fourth term as a trustee. She is president of Blumenthal Law Offices in Riverside.
This year, RCCD Board of Trustees welcomes Jose Alcala who won the seat vacated by longtime trustee Janet Green. Alcala is a teacher of history in the Moreno Valley Unified School District and serves on the board of directors for the California Teachers Association. Both Blumenthal and Alcala are graduates of Riverside City College.
Board positions are for one year.
The role of the Board of Trustees is to establish policies to assure the quality, integrity, and effectiveness of the colleges’ programs and services as well as the financial stability of the Riverside Community College District.