Four fresh faces – and one familiar one – are vying for leadership positions at Laney College. The Peralta Community College District (PCCD) has announced finalists for Laney College Vice President of Student Services as well as Vice President of Administrative Services, with “high flex” public forums for the finalists set for April 8 and 9.

Three finalists for Vice President of Student Services

Public forums will be held April 8 for the three finalists for Vice President of Student Services: Lily Espinoza, Heather French, and Blas Guerrero.

Lily Espinoza is a community college alumn and a California native who strives to “inspire positive change and leave a lasting impact on education and social justice,” according to her bio attached to the announcement. According to her Linkedin, Espinoza carries six degrees: an Associate’s Degree in Liberal Arts from Diablo Valley College, a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Women’s Studies from UC Berkeley, a Master of Arts Degree in Student Personnel Administration, a second Master of Arts in Teacher Education and Professional Development from the University of Southern California, a third Master of Arts Degree in Holistic Health Education from John F. Kennedy University, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Cal State Fullerton.

Heather French is currently the Associate Vice Chancellor and Dean of Students at University of California, Merced. She holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Saint Mary’s College of California, and has held several positions at both the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators and the American College Personnel Association.

Blas Guerrero is a first-generation college graduate, who was raised by farm laborers in Ventura County, and now holds a Master’s and Ph.D. from University of California, Berkeley. He taught Education and Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley for 18 years before moving into administrative roles. Key areas he wishes to focus on include education outreach, strategic recruitment, admissions, student success, and retention.

The role is currently held by Marlon Hall, who was appointed to a one-year term as Acting Vice President of Student Services in June 2022. In April 2023, the appointment was extended through June 15, 2024.

The forum will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 2:20 p.m. at the Laney Forum. Each finalist will have 50 minutes to introduce themself and field questions from attendees in-person and on Zoom.

Two finalists compete for Vice President of Administrative Services

The two finalists for Vice President of Administrative Services are incumbent Dativa “Dettie” Del Rosario and Ashish Sahni. Manuel Mandapat, current Manager of Fiscal Services at Diablo Valley College, was originally selected as a finalist but has since withdrawn.

Dativa Del Rosario was appointed Interim Vice President of Administrative Services in March 2022, initially through June 2022. In April 2022, her appointment was extended “until the position is filled on a permanent basis.” She has worked in PCCD since 1997, climbing the ladder from classified professional to administrator.

Ashish Sahni has worked in leadership positions at a number of local colleges and universities, including Contra Costa College, and Universities of California at Berkeley, San Francisco, and Santa Cruz. He holds a Bachelor of Economics from UC Berkeley, a Master’s in Public Policy from Georgetown University, and a professional certificate from the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard University. He has also worked as a Budget Analyst at the White House Office of Management and Budget.

The candidates will introduce themselves and answer questions from attendees at the forum on April 9 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:20 p.m. at the Laney Forum. Each candidate will be awarded 50 minutes. Participants can attend in-person or on Zoom.