Marin Community College District (MCCD) Board of Trustees is pleased to announce the selection of finalists for the position of Superintendent/President. Following a nationwide search, finalists were recommended to the Board of Trustees by a diverse screening committee made up of faculty, staff, students, and community members.
The MCCD Superintendent/President finalists are, in alphabetical order: Dr. Jonathan Eldridge, Dr. Kimberlee Messina, and Dr. Luis Pedraja. Their abbreviated biographies are provided below.
The MCCD Board of Trustees will conduct interviews with the finalists on September 26, 2023, and each finalist will have the opportunity to visit the Kentfield (KTD) and Indian Valley (IVC) campuses, which will include meet and greets, a guided tour, and public forums. A final hiring decision will be made by the Board of Trustees at a regularly-scheduled meeting in October or November. The anticipated start date for the Superintendent/President is January 2024.
Finalist Campus Visits — September 25, 27, and 28, 2023
Faculty, staff, students, and community members are encouraged to attend or view the public forum sessions and provide feedback for each candidate afterward. Links to the recording will be available on September 29, and feedback forms can be accessed in the table below.
The deadline to provide feedback on the candidates is Wednesday, October 4, 2023, 12 pm.
| Date/Time | Finalist Name | Kentfield Forum Recording | Forum Feedback Form |
|---|---|---|---|
Monday, September 25, 2023KTD: 12:40 pm – 1:25 pm
|
Dr. Luis Pedraja |
Pedraja Forum
|
Pedraja Feedback Form |
Wednesday, September 27, 2023KTD: 12:40 pm – 1:25 pm
|
Dr. Kimberlee Messina |
Messina Forum
|
Messina Feedback Form |
Thursday, September 28, 2023KTD: 12:40 pm – 1:25 pm
|
Dr. Jonathan Eldridge |
Eldridge Forum
|
Eldridge Feedback Form |
MCCD Superintendent/President Finalist Biographies
Jonathan Eldridge, Ed.D.
Dr. Jonathan Eldridge serves as the Assistant Superintendent/Vice President of Student Learning and Success at College of Marin. He has been at the College for over ten years and served in this capacity for the past nine. He leads both the academic and student services divisions, which affords the opportunity to create a truly coherent and integrated educational program for students and help all faculty and staff see the connections in their work. Jonathan received a bachelor’s degree in history with a minor in political science from Central Washington University, graduating from CWU’s William O. Douglas Honors College. His master’s degree is in student affairs in higher education from Colorado State University and his doctorate is in organizational change and leadership from the University of Southern California. <Read full biography>
Kimberlee S. Messina, Ed.D.
Dr. Kimberlee S. Messina is a passionate and committed community college educator who has been serving as president of Spokane Falls Community College in the state of Washington since June 2019. Prior to this appointment she worked in the California Community College system for 26 years. Dr. Messina has extensive experience in Guided Pathways, curriculum, equity infused pedagogy, strategic planning, and accreditation. She holds a bachelor of arts degree in sociology and a master of arts degree in Spanish from California State University, Sacramento and earned her Ed.D. in educational leadership at the University of California, Davis. <Read full biography>
Luis G. Pedraja, Ph.D.
Dr. Pedraja is a passionate advocate for increasing access to higher education for all people, especially those who have been underserved historically by the American higher education system. Since 2017, Dr. Pedraja has served as president of Quinsigamond Community College (QCC) in Massachusetts. There, he leads the college community toward achieving QCC’s mission of providing accessible, affordable, high- quality programs that meet the diverse needs of the college’s students and region. As a child, Dr. Pedraja emigrated from Cuba and grew up in a low-income neighborhood in Miami. He became the first in his family to attend college, receiving his bachelor of arts degree from Stetson University and earning a doctorate from the University of Virginia. <Read full biography>