Dear Peralta Community,   

 

Thank you to all who participated in the selection process for the Peralta Community College District's next Chief Operating Officer (CCO). I am pleased to share that I have selected Greg Nelson as our next COO, pending the Board of Trustees' formal approval of his contract. His start date will be July 1, 2024.

 

 

The COO will oversee the District's critical operational aspects, including Finance & Administration, General Services, and Technology. Greg, with his extensive experience in all three areas and deep accounting and financial management expertise, is a strong choice. He's already in the Bay Area, having worked at San Jose City College and currently at the College of Marin. His recent work eliminating costs and other barriers to enrollment for historically marginalized and minoritized students, a testament to his commitment to our mission, has been impressive.

 

Throughout the search process, participants were also impressed by Greg's communication, organization, and problem-solving skills. They noted his deep understanding of the California Community Colleges system for financial operations and his connections with the state architect's office, which will serve us well for future construction projects. They also recognized that he is a faculty member, teaching project management courses at Sonoma State University and the College of Marin. He will bring that adjunct faculty perspective to the role of COO.

 

Throughout the search process, your active participation and valuable perspectives were instrumental in the selection of our new COO. I deeply appreciate that this national search brought forth a strong pool of finalists, making the selection process both challenging and inspiring. I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to all members of the Search Committee who approached this task with the utmost care, as well as to the faculty, classified professionals, administrators, and community members who actively participated in and shared their perspectives during the public forums and constituency leader meetings. Your contributions were invaluable in this process.

 

As we welcome Greg Nelson, we also bid farewell to two esteemed members of our team. Dr. Stephanie Droker, who plans to retire later this summer, will continue working as the Deputy Chancellor and COO through June 30, 2024. Dr. Nathaniel Jones III, Interim Vice Chancellor of Finance and Administration, will also leave us at the end of June. I want to express my deep gratitude to Dr. Droker and Dr. Jones for their time at PCCD and their unwavering commitment to improving our organization to serve students while making it a better workplace. It has been an honor working with both of you.

 

In closing, I thank everyone who participated in the COO selection process. You all were generous in sharing your thoughts, and I sincerely appreciated the feedback I received. We are making significant progress in hiring administrators for permanent roles, and soon, we'll announce the finalists for the Vice Chancellor of Human Resources position.

 

Thank you for your continued service and commitment to each other and the students at the Peralta Colleges! 

 

Sincerely,   

Tammeil  

 

Dr. Tammeil Gilkerson 

Chancellor 

Peralta Community College District