The Modesto Junior College (MJC) Presidential Search Committee has selected three finalists in the process to become the next MJC President.
The finalists (with most recent position held) are:
Santanu Bandyopadhyay, Ph.D.; Interim President, Modesto Junior College – Modesto, CA.
Jonathan King, Ph.D.; Vice President of Student Services, Lake Tahoe Community College – South Lake Tahoe, CA.
Lena Tran, Ed.D.; Vice President, Strategic Partnerships and Workforce Innovation, San Jose City College – San Jose, CA.
Yosemite Community College District’s Human Resources initially reached out to several Executive Search Firms through the Request for Proposal (RFP) process. However, upon review and careful consideration of the costs, it was decided that the District would not engage the services of an Executive Search firm. The MJC Presidential Search would be conducted through the normal YCCD recruitment process with expanded advertisement. The search committee was chaired by Dr. G.H. Javaheripour, who currently serves as the Interim President of Columbia College. Initial interviews were completed and the names of the three finalists have been forwarded to Chancellor Henry Yong and the YCCD Board of Trustees.
Open forums for the finalists are scheduled for Thursday, April 29, 2021 via Zoom. The forums will be held at 9:00 a.m., 9:45 a.m., and 10:30 a.m. Each finalist will be given an opportunity to discuss their preparation for the position, their education and leadership philosophy, concluding with a time to respond to questions from the forum attendees. The forums will be open to the public and can be accessed from the links provided in the finalist profiles.
Dr. Santanu Bandyopadhyay
Forum date/time: April 29, 9 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
Link to Forum: https://cccconfer.zoom.us/j/97643718580
Dr. Bandyopadhyay is currently the Interim President at Modesto Junior College. His prior work experience includes serving as President at Columbia College, Executive Vice President of Educational Programs and Student Services at Cypress College, Director of Institutional Research & Planning at Cypress College. He served as Director of Institutional Research, as well as, Interim Dean of Student Services at Zane State College, Budget & Policy Analyst at Ohio University, Research Director at Triton Communication, and Faculty - Information Technology at the National Institute of Information Technology. He holds both a Ph.D. in Higher Education and a Master Degree in Business Administration in Management from Ohio University, and a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Kolkata University.
Dr. Jonathan King
Forum date/time: April 29, 9:45 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Link to Forum: https://cccconfer.zoom.us/j/92432822031
Dr. King is currently the Vice President of Student Services at Lake Tahoe Community College. His previous work experience includes serving as Dean of Counseling & Student Support Programs at Southwestern College, Chief Student Affairs Officer at Concorde College (San Diego Campus), Interim Campus President at Colorado Mountain College, Dean of Business and Applied Technology at Evergreen Valley College, Assistant Director of New Programs/Interim Director Dual Enrollment at Northwest Vista College, Executive Director of Educational Programming and Fund Development at BNC Inc., and Academic Counselor/ Dean of Students at Maxwell Int’l Baha’i’ School. He holds a Ph.D. in Education Leadership from the University of Texas at Austin, a Masters in Educational Administration from Harvard University, a Masters from the International University of Japan, and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Morehouse College.
Dr. Lena Tran
Forum date/time: April 29, 10:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
Link to Forum: https://cccconfer.zoom.us/j/96911907870
Dr. Tran is currently serving as Vice President, Strategic Partnerships and Workforce Innovation. Her prior work experience includes serving as Dean of Business and Workforce Development at Evergreen Valley College and Interim Dean of Social Science, Humanities, Arts, and Physical Education at Evergreen Valley College. At the University of California Silicon Valley Extension, she was Director of three departments: Business and Management, Education, and Applied & Natural Sciences. She served as Employment Development Coach at San Jose One-stop/Institution for Business Performance, Co-Founder and Sales & Marketing Director for Viethome Magazine, Business Development Manager for Collabrys, and Business Development Manager at Realtech Systems. She holds a Doctorate of Education in Organizational and Leadership Development from the University of San Francisco, a Masters of Business Administration in Entrepreneurship and Marketing from Seton Hall University, and a Bachelor of Science in International Business and Marketing from Montclair State University.
