SAN MARCOS — The Palomar College governing board announced Friday afternoon that it had unanimously selected interim Superintendent/President Tina L. Recalde to fill the role permanently. Recalde was on the board’s list of four finalists for the position, announced in mid-October.
Before taking the interim role after former Superintendent Star Rivera-Lacey’s departure last fall, Recalde served as vice president of instruction at Palomar. She previously spent seven years as dean of health sciences and public service at San Diego Mesa College. She also taught at Southwestern College and Miramar College after earning her doctorate in physical therapy from the University of Southern California.
During her year in the interim role, Recalde has had time to get acquainted with the strained relationship between the elected governing board and the employee unions and Faculty Senate. Staff members have alleged that board decisions have harmed the district’s financial standing and hurt students from some ethnic backgrounds.
Recalde will soon work with a board that includes at least one new member, as one incumbent did not seek reelection.
Two of the five trustee seats were on the November ballot. Incumbent Judy Patacsil led the race for Area 1, which includes San Marcos and Lake Hodges, in the latest results posted by the San Diego County Registrar of Voters. In Area 5, which includes Fallbrook, Bonsall and Valley Center, incumbent Jacqueline Kaiser did not seek reelection.
Jennifer Jeffries, who, like Patacsil, has the backing of both the faculty and classified employee unions, held a narrow lead over former University of San Diego professor Michelle Moore, with Cory Anderson a distant third.
The district shifted from at-large elections to five trustee areas under the California Voting Rights Act of 2001, which aims to improve opportunities for voters from racial and ethnic minority groups to elect candidates of their choice. The district also includes Escondido and Poway, as well as unincorporated areas near Oceanside and Vista.
Palomar began offering its first bachelor’s degree this fall, with the first junior-level class now enrolled in the Building Performance & Environmental Design program.
Over the past two years, the college has opened new football and softball stadiums on campus.
Palomar has more than 29,000 students. Its main campus is in San Marcos, with satellite campuses in Fallbrook, Escondido and Rancho Bernardo. The board oversees an annual budget of nearly $600 million.
