President - Palo Verde College

Presidential Profile

The Board of Trustees of Palo Verde College invites nominations and applications for the position of President.

About Palo Verde College

Palo Verde College (PVC) was established on September 15, 1947. Initially, it operated as a junior college within the Palo Verde Unified School District and began with just seventeen students. By 1950, enrollment had grown to 250. Today, Palo Verde College serves a diverse student population of over 3,000, preparing for transfer to four-year institutions, entering the workforce, upgrading job skills, or pursuing personal enrichment. With classes held at both the main Blythe campus and the Needles Educational Center, along with the Rising Scholars Program in partnership with California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the College continues to be a vital educational resource in the region.

PVC offers over 89 associate degrees and certificate programs, including career and transfer programs. These programs are available online and at facilities throughout Blythe and Needles. In addition, PVC offers Inter-Agency Service Agreements in fire science, face-to-face-courses at Ironwood State Prison, and a growing Associate Degree in Nursing Program.

The College provides extensive student support services, including academic advising and tutoring, accessibility services, mental health network, and veteran services. PVC's athletic program is part of the Inland Empire Athletic Conference, offering students opportunities to participate in intercollegiate men's and women's basketball. With its focus on both traditional and non-traditional students, PVC is dedicated to creating a supportive and inclusive educational environment. To meet the evolving needs of its communities, PVC continually expands its programmatic offerings, resulting in the creation of unique career programs and comprehensive transfer programs to facilitate student transitions to four-year institutions.

Nestled within the scenic and striking desert landscapes, Blythe and Needles offer abundant opportunities for outdoor recreation, including boating, fishing, camping, and hiking around the Colorado River. Residents enjoy a close-knit community atmosphere while maintaining convenient access to larger metropolitan areas, such as Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Palm Springs, which all are within a few hours drive.

Role of the President
The President has strategic and daily operational responsibility for the District. As the face and voice of the College, the President is an inspirational, transparent, and visionary leader, committed to building trust and addressing the following opportunities and challenges:

Academic Excellence and Enrollment

• Enrollment Strategy, Student Success, and Institutional Sustainability: Assess and align college operations to implement strategies that increase enrollment, retention, completion, and long-term institutional sustainability. Primary attention should be given to enrollment diversification, workforce-responsive programming, correctional education partnerships, concurrent and dual enrollment, credit and non-credit offerings, and serving both traditional and non-traditional learners in two communities.
• Expand Academic, Workforce, and Career Education Opportunities: Ensure the continued quality and growth of academic, transfer, career technical education, nursing, allied health, and workforce programs while adapting curriculum and delivery models to meet evolving community and employer needs. Continue to advance PVC's leadership role for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated students through the Rising Scholars Program and role in the Rising Scholars Network.

Community Engagement and Outreach

• Community Integration, Trust, and Outreach: Strengthen trust across the District and throughout the region by positioning PVC as a valued educational, workforce, cultural, and economic development partner. Engage actively with students, employees, community members, and other internal and external stakeholders.

Economic, Community and Workforce Development

• Economic Development and Workforce Alignment: Collaborate with local employers, economic development leaders, correctional education partners, and workforce agencies to align programs with current and emerging workforce needs while expanding opportunities for students and the communities served by the College.
• Community Support and Rural Responsiveness: Understand the history, culture, opportunities, and challenges of the College's rural service area and demonstrate a commitment to serving diverse populations through accessible, student-centered educational opportunities.

Resource Development

• Government and Strategic Partnerships: Advocate for increased and sustained support from local, state, federal, and institutional partners while maintaining and strengthening key external relationships, including those that support enrollment and workforce development.
• Fiscal Stewardship and Resource Development: Demonstrate strong fiscal leadership by aligning resources with institutional priorities, evaluating long-term sustainability, pursuing grants and partnerships, and ensuring responsible stewardship of public funds.

Shared Governance

• Shared Governance, Collaboration, and Institutional Climate: Foster a culture of transparency, accountability, communication, and shared governance that strengthens collaboration among students, faculty, staff, administrators, bargaining units, and the Board of Trustees.

Marketing and Visibility

• Marketing and Visibility: Actively promote the College, increase its visibility, strengthen its reputation, and communicate a clear vision for Palo Verde College's future.

Characteristics and Skill Sets of the President

• Visionary and Courageous Leadership: Have a demonstrated ability to lead institutions through complex challenges, make difficult decisions when necessary, and establish a clear, student-centered strategic direction.
• Mission-Driven Advocate: Demonstrate a deep passion for the community college mission, advocating for learner-centered initiatives and addressing the unique challenges faced by disadvantaged populations throughout a large and rural service area.
• Effective and Transparent Communication: Exhibit exceptional communication and listening skills, maintain visibility throughout the College and community, and foster trust through openness, accessibility, and transparency.
• Participatory Governance: Demonstrate integrity, fairness, accountability, and commitment to participatory governance while respecting governance roles and institutional policies.
• Student Experience: Demonstrate a commitment to positive student experiences through student life and athletics with an emphasis on inclusivity and belonging.
• Strategic Enrollment and Student Success Expertise: Implement innovative strategies that support enrollment growth, retention, completion, workforce preparation, and educational access for diverse student populations.
• Fiscal Stewardship and Institutional Effectiveness: Demonstrate strong financial acumen, accreditation awareness, and the ability to align resources, planning, and assessment processes with institutional goals and long-term sustainability.
• Resource Development: Build relationships to generate revenue from multiple sources through foundations, alumni, and fundraising initiatives.
• Team Building: Recruit, retain, develop, and support talented employees while fostering a culture of respect, accountability, collaboration, morale, and professional growth.
• Partnership Development: Create and strengthen strategic partnerships, working closely with business and industry partners to enhance economic impact, and Career Technical Education (CTE). Work closely with the Pre-TK, TK-12 school systems, and regional higher education partners to build educational pathways for PVC's students.
• Innovation, Technology, and Adaptability: Support innovative approaches to instruction, student services, operational effectiveness, and emerging technologies that enhance learning and institutional performance.
• Strategic and Effective Decision Making: Utilize data to inform and support strategic decisions with the senior administrative team, ensuring that choices are evidence-based and aligned with institutional goals.
• Board and Governance Relations: Demonstrate the ability to work effectively with an elected governing board while maintaining appropriate governance boundaries, professionalism, and institutional focus.
• Visible, Approachable, and Student-Centered Leadership: Maintain a strong campus presence, engage regularly with students and employees, and create an environment where all constituent groups are valued, heard, and supported.
• Cultural Appreciation and Rural Community Engagement: Understand and appreciate the cultures, opportunities, and challenges facing rural community colleges and actively engage with the communities served by the College.
• Collaborative and Unifying Leadership: Be an authentic, approachable, and humble leader who will foster trust, unite diverse constituencies, and create a culture focused on student success and institutional excellence while making a commitment to PVC and the community.

Minimum Qualifications

All candidates must have evidence of responsiveness to and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, disability, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, and ethnic backgrounds of community college students as these factors relate to the need for equity-minded practices; AND

Earned master's degree from a regionally accredited institution or equivalent; AND

Five (5) years of senior-level administrative experience in education, defined as an executive position reporting directly to a governing body or chief executive officer and being responsible for a broad operational segment of the organization with significant fiscal and programmatic oversight (e.g., academic affairs, student services, administrative services, college campus);

Preferred Qualifications

• Significant senior level administrative experience in higher education at a community college.
• Higher education teaching experience at a community college.
• Experience working with multiple collective bargaining units.
• Clear understanding of the importance of Participatory Governance, and demonstrates ability to effectively cultivate it.
• Experience in a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).
• Demonstrated experience to effectively navigate the complex policy and regulations of the California community college environment or a comparable system.
• An earned doctorate from a regionally accredited institution.

How To Apply

This is a confidential search process. To ensure full consideration, application materials should be received no later than July 22, 2026. The position will remain open until filled.

To apply go to http://www.acctsearches.org and upload your documents.

Candidates will need to have the following information or materials available to complete the application:

• 1. A letter of application (not to exceed 5 pages) that succinctly addresses the opportunities and challenges identified in the Position Profile and demonstrates how the candidate's experience and professional qualifications prepare them to serve as the President of Palo Verde College.
  2. A current resume including an email address and cellular telephone number.
  3. A list of eight references: example, two to three supervisors, two to three direct reports, and two to three faculty and/or staff members from current and former institutions.

For additional information, nominations, or confidential inquiries please contact: Debbie DiThomas, Ed.D., ACCT Search Consultant, at ddithomas5@gmail.com or (951) 961-6533.

*An ACCT Search*

To see additional information about our job opening(s) or to apply, click on the “Apply Now” button at the bottom of our job posting(s).

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