SAN MARCOS — Palomar College has narrowed its search for a new superintendent/president to four finalists. The board of governors announced that the four candidates to succeed Star Rivera-Lacey are:
- Nicole Jones, vice president of student services at Compton College. She previously served in the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District and earned her doctorate in leadership, organizational coaching and consulting from the University of San Diego.
- Isabel de Los Angeles O’Connor, vice president of instruction at San Diego Mesa College. She also worked in administration at Cabrillo College near Santa Cruz. She earned her doctorate in medieval history from UCLA.
- Tina L. Recalde, interim superintendent/president at Palomar. Before taking the interim role following Rivera-Lacey’s departure last fall, she served as vice president of instruction at Palomar. She earned her doctorate in physical therapy from the University of Southern California.
- Omar Javier Torres, former president of De Anza College near San Jose. He previously held positions at College of the Canyons near Santa Clarita. He earned a doctorate in education from the University of La Verne.
Rivera-Lacey resigned from Palomar last November to become deputy chancellor/provost at the Riverside Community College District.
Palomar College is governed by a locally elected board of governors, which has significant autonomy from the state-level California Community Colleges Board of Governors and the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office. The Palomar College Board of Governors has sole authority to select a campus president/superintendent. Palomar serves almost 20,000 students from its main campus in San Marcos, plus education centers in Escondido, Fallbrook and Rancho Bernardo.
