17³Ō¹Ļ announces Dr. Kristina Whalen as its next president
The 17³Ō¹Ļ-De Anza Community College District Board of Trustees voted unanimously
on January 9 to accept district Chancellor Dr. Judy Minerās recommendation to appoint
Dr. Kristina Whalen as 17³Ō¹Ļās next president. Whalen, a veteran educator
with 25 years of experience in higher education, will begin the position March 31.
"I am thrilled to announce that I am recommending Dr. Kristina Whalen as 17³Ō¹Ļ Collegeās eighth president,ā Miner said in a message to district employees. āI am confident that Kristinaās skills, experience and character match well with 17³Ō¹Ļās needs ā now and in the future.ā
Whalen brings a broad range of experience to her new position. She is currently vice president of academic services at Las Positas College in Livermore, Calif., a position responsible for supporting the work of approximately 450 employees and overseeing all instructional programs at the college, including career education, adult education and Middle College. She also serves in a statewide role as vice president of the California Community Colleges Chief Instructional Officers Association and is involved regionally in leadership positions with the Livermore Chamber of Commerce, Alameda County Agricultural Advisory Board, Tri-Valley Education Collaborative and Tri-Valley Educational Partnership Projects Committee.
āI am honored and excited to be selected as president of 17³Ō¹Ļ,ā Whalen
said. āI look forward to working with 17³Ō¹Ļās talented faculty, staff, students
and community partners in the relentless pursuit of equitable outcomes for all students.
I thank Chancellor Miner and the Board of Trustees for trusting me with the responsibility
to further the collegeās inspiring history of educational excellence, equity and innovation.ā
From 2005 to 2019, Whalen worked at City College of San Francisco in the successively
responsible positions of faculty member, director of forensics, department chair,
student learning outcomes coordinator, dean and associate vice chancellor of instruction,
enrollment management and instructional support services. Early in her career, she
served as director of forensics and assistant professor at California State University,
Chico. Current and former colleagues described her as a visible, engaged and collaborative
leader.
A longtime San Francisco, Calif. resident, Whalen said that closing the opportunity
gap motivates her work. āAs someone deeply entwined in the Bay Area, Iāve witnessed
firsthand that 17³Ō¹Ļ is a haven for the community and a unique engine of
economic opportunity for its residents,ā Whalen said. āI feel a profound connection
to the collegeās recognition that many students, even in pockets of affluence and
innovation, do not easily experience socio-economic mobility.ā
Whalen takes over leadership from Bernadine Chuck Fong, 17³Ō¹Ļās interim president
since Nov. 1, 2021. Fong previously served as the collegeās president from 1994 to
her retirement in 2006. āI hope you are as excited as I am with the announcement of
your next president,ā said Fong in a message to the campus community. āShe is a leader
that will serve 17³Ō¹Ļ very well and take you to the next level.ā
Whalen was one of three finalists recommended to Miner after an extensive national
search by a 16-member committee made up of faculty, administrators, staff and students.
As 17³Ō¹Ļ president, Whalen will be part of the districtās leadership team along
with the chancellor, three vice chancellors and De Anza College President Lloyd Holmes.
Holmes and Whalen met as part of the Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship, a highly
selective program aimed at recruiting and developing exceptional leaders who can accelerate
transformational change and advance student success. The two were among a small group
of educators selected nationwide to participate in the prestigious yearlong fellowship
in 2020-21.
Whalen holds a bachelorās degree in socio-political communication from Missouri State
University, a masterās degree in rhetoric and public address from Florida State University
and a doctoral degree in speech communication from Florida State University.
She will begin the position at the second step on the presidentās salary schedule, earning $249,559 a year.