NOCCCD Board Meeting Highlights for September 8, 2026

Chancellor's Report

Chancellor Byron D. Clift Breland shared that he participated in the California Community Colleges Futures Summit where he served on a panel with industry leaders about credentialing and discussed the impact of artificial intelligence. He also moderated a panel of healthcare chief executives and industry leaders at the statewide Pathways with Purpose gathering, focused on healthcare career pathways for English language learners. The discussion highlighted employer partnerships, instruction built around the language of the job, and opening doors earlier in the process. Chancellor Breland also highlighted the second annual NOCCCD Women in Power Spaces Convening and thanked Chief Communications Officer Kai Stearns Davis and the event planning committee for their leadership and work.

Board Actions

The Board of Trustees acted on agenda items, including those highlighted below:

• Board authorization to adopt Resolution No. 26/27-14, authorizing the issuance of the North Orange County Community College District 2026 General Obligation Refunding Bonds, and actions related thereto.
• Board authorization to adopt Resolution No. 26/27-15, authorizing the issuance of North Orange County Community College District election of 2014 General Obligation Bonds, Series D, and actions related thereto.
• Board authorization to adopt Resolution No. 26/27-16 in recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month.

Presentations

2026 Bond Financing

Vice Chancellor of Administrative Services Dr. John Parker provided an update on 2026 bond financing activity, including the fourth and final issuance of Measure J bonds, with $174 million remaining from the original $574 million authorization for capital projects. He shared that the District also plans to refinance eligible portions of the 2016 Series A bonds, which is estimated to save taxpayers approximately $486,000 without extending the repayment period.

2029-30 Student Success Benchmarks

District Director, Institutional Research, Planning, and Data Strategy Dr. Gabrielle Stanco and Vice Chancellor of Educational Services & Institutional Effectiveness Dr. Jennifer Vega La Serna presented the 2029–30 Student Success Benchmarks report as well as progress on the 2025–26 student success outcomes. The recommended benchmarks call for a 30% increase from the 2022–23 baseline for most metrics. Associate degree earners are currently on track, with 1,984 students earning an associate degree compared with the benchmark of 1,884. The presentation also highlighted transfer recovery plans at Cypress College and Fullerton College.

Human Resources

The Board approved the hiring of:

• Anaheim Campus District Director, EEO and Compliance Kristen Entringer
• Cypress College Special Projects Coordinator, Dual Enrollment Daniela Juarez Valencia
• Anaheim Campus Assistant Director, Infrastructure & Support Services Kevin Lane
• NOCE Special Projects Coordinator, Institutional Research & Planning Alvin Makabali
• Anaheim Campus IT Security Analyst/System Administrator Victor Muramoto

The Board approved the retirement of Fullerton College Counselor Elias Dominguez; Fullerton College Counselor Guadalupe Lopez-Casillas; and Fullerton College HVAC Mechanic II Samuel Dalton.

The Board approved the resignation of Cypress College Art Illustration Instructor Donivan Howard.

Chancellor's Staff Reports

NOCE

NOCE President Valentina Purtell highlighted an increase in student awards, reporting 1,853 certificates and high school diplomas in 2025–26, an increase of nearly 16% from the previous year. More than 1,000 of those awards were identified through NOCE’s auto-award process. She also highlighted a new series of virtual emotional wellness workshops offered in English and Spanish for students and employees.

Fullerton College

Fullerton College President Dr. Cynthia Olivo congratulated math faculty on receiving a $500,000 National Science Foundation grant. She also shared that Fullerton College was recognized by the EDU Ledger for graduating Latino students, ranking No. 22 among 1,024 community colleges nationally and No. 11 among 116 California community colleges.

Cypress College

Cypress College President Dr. Scott Thayer highlighted the 41st Cypress College Foundation Golf Classic, which drew 172 golfers and netted more than $200,000. He also shared that he completed the Wheelhouse CEO Institute on Leadership and was invited to support State Chancellor Dr. Sonya Christian’s keynote address at the Collective Equity Impact Institute, where he will speak about the impact of equity.

Administrative Services

Vice Chancellor of Administrative Services Dr. John Parker introduced Darren Matthews as the District’s new Director of Procurement and Contracts. Matthews has more than 30 years of public procurement experience and is also a celebrated author of numerous books, a columnist, and has presented at various conferences globally on procurement.

Human Resources

Vice Chancellor of Human Resources Irma Ramos introduced the District’s new Director of EEO and Compliance, Dr. Kristen Entringer. Dr. Entringer brings more than a decade of civil rights and Title IX experience and most recently worked at Cal State Fullerton.

Resource Table Reports

District Management Association

District Management Association President Rosanna Islas shared an update on the upcoming October 16 District Management Retreat, noting that the agenda was developed with input from the management survey and will focus on opportunities for managers to connect, learn, and strengthen collaboration across the District.

Academic Senate

NOCE Academic Senate President Michelle Patrick-Norng shared that the academic leadership team is examining the structure and effectiveness of NOCE’s learning centers and labs and identified next steps for a needs assessment involving students, faculty, and staff. She also reported that the Curriculum Committee approved a temporary curriculum review process for the semester as NOCE transitions from CurricUNET to CourseDog.

Cypress College Academic Senate President Jaclyn Magginetti recognized the recent WiPS event and thanked Kai Stearns Davis for organizing the event. She also shared upcoming Senate discussions on lowering the low-textbook-cost standard from $40 to $30 and reviewing revisions to the Strong Workforce Program and Perkins funding process.

Fullerton College Academic Senate President Bridget Kominek shared that the Faculty Senate received an update on the District’s Accessibility Capability Maturity Model and efforts to align with Title II digital accessibility requirements. She also shared that members of the statewide Academic Senate Executive Committee recently visited Fullerton College to help clarify and document the college’s local curriculum approval processes.

United Faculty

United Faculty representative Joel Salcedo discussed the District’s budget and the importance of looking more closely at how personnel costs are distributed as bargaining begins. He also again raised concerns about retired faculty who were excluded from the contingency payment and asked the Board to look into the issue.

CSEA

CSEA President Elaine Loayza shared that CSEA presented the District with a comprehensive proposal on salary ranges for the job descriptions reviewed through the District’s Job Family Study. She noted that the proposal included internal and external analysis of salary ranges and asked the Board to consider the proposal.

Adjunct Faculty United

Adjunct Faculty United Marlo Smith shared that approximately 70 adjunct faculty attended the recent welcome meeting and emphasized the importance of adjunct faculty submitting their assignment request forms to maintain re-employment preference and noted that this semester’s deadline is November 2.

Board of Trustees Reports

NOCE Student Trustee Yellckin Brenes shared that approximately 25 students attended his first student trustee event, where he connected with students, answered questions, and heard about their experiences and perspectives. He also shared that he looks forward to joining 25 NOCE student leaders at the upcoming Vision 2030 Non-Credit Summit.

Fullerton College Student Trustee Samantha Meili shared that she is working to increase student representation on campus and District-level committees. She also highlighted efforts to provide students with voter registration and election information.

Board Secretary Mark A. Lopez shared upcoming activities at the Fullerton Museum Center, including garden sessions, a free concert series, and the upcoming Hollywood Horror Story exhibit.

Trustee Evangelina Rosales thanked Chief Communications Officer Kai Stearns Davis, the event planning team, and everyone who worked behind the scenes to organize the Women in Power Spaces Convening. She also reminded the community about the Fullerton College President’s Gala on Saturday, October 24, 2026, from 6:00 – 10:00 p.m.

Board President Dr. Barbara Dunsheath shared an update from the recent CCCT meeting on SB 960 and AB 2694 related to community college baccalaureate degrees. She noted that the legislation does not go into effect until 2028 and that colleges with baccalaureate degree proposals close to submission should continue working toward the January 15 and August 15, 2027 deadlines.

Public Comments

Several Cypress College nursing students raised concerns about ongoing air-conditioning issues in the Tech Ed 3 building and urged the Board to look into the issue.

Antoinette Treferbach, Administrative Assistant II at Fullerton College, asked the Board to consider CSEA’s proposal and spoke about the need for a livable base wage for classified employees.

Joy Case, Administrative Assistant III at Cypress College, asked the Board to consider CSEA’s recommendations and appropriately compensate classified employees recommended for a salary increase.

Teresa Cespedes, Athletic Equipment Coordinator at Cypress College, spoke in support of equitable salary placement for classified employees and asked the Board to consider responsibilities that may not be fully reflected in job descriptions

Next Meeting

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the NOCCCD Board of Trustees will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, at the Anaheim Campus.