As part of the Peralta Community College District Chancellor’s “transformation plan,” the Vice President of Student Services and Instruction positions at each campus will be restructured to combine the roles into three executive vice president positions across the district. The transformation plan is a multi-year strategy developed by Peralta leadership and constituency groups of students and employees to improve the district’s financial outlook.

As a part of that plan, Laney and Merritt Colleges will merge into one school, Oakland City College, while keeping both campuses open.

Between May 18 and 19, a series of forums were held at Peralta’s district offices for eight finalists competing for the Executive Vice President of Student Services and Instruction positions. Each candidate was asked the same questions during their forum to “ensure the integrity of the search process,” according to Vice Chancellor of Educational Services and forums moderator, Tina Vasconcellos.

The Executive Vice Presidents of Student Learning and Success will report to the college presidents and are responsible for the oversight of instructional programs and student services. According to Peralta’s management salary scale, the individuals hired for the role will earn an annual salary between $184,003 and $212,312, with the initial hiring salary capped at $198,158.

David Crafts most recently served as the Dean of Enrollment Services and Support Programs and the Title IX coordinator at College of San Mateo and currently serves on San Mateo County’s LGBTQIA+ Commission. Crafts served in their role at the College of San Mateo for three years. According to public salary information, their total pay with benefits was $261,064.46 in 2024. According to their LinkedIn profile, they are currently located in Redwood City and they have over 25 years of experience in student service roles at institutions in Ohio, Florida, and California.

Crafts holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in education from Grand Valley State University, as well as certificates in “trauma-informed sexual assault investigation and adjudication” and crisis management. They are a volunteer with the Cheer For Life Foundation, a San Francisco based nonprofit LGBTQ+ cheer group, a board member for the Lavender Graduation Legacy Project at University of Michigan, and an Aspirant with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, an order of queer and trans nuns who devote themselves to community service, ministry, and outreach to under-resourced communities.

During their forum, Crafts said they would want to make sure that the district is “student facing” by providing “accessible, affordable,” and “liberatory” educational opportunities, especially for students who “may think […] higher education is not attainable or accessible for them.”

Crafts said that the district should prioritize students’ basic needs and provide students with their desired educational pathways. They added that students should have a “seat at the table” and be a “leading voice” in policy decision making.

Rosslyn Knight has been the Chief of Staff at Guttman Community College in Manhattan, New York since 2022 and took on an additional role as Vice President of Strategy in 2024. Knight has over 30 years of experience in education as a former adjunct faculty and in development and academic affairs roles at Maricopa Community Colleges in Arizona, and as a teacher in Sierra Leone.

According to public records, Knight earned a salary of $162,813 in 2025 while at Guttman. Knight currently lives in Secaucus, New Jersey. She got her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, her master’s degree in language and literacy from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education in Massachusetts, and her doctorate of education in community college leadership from San Diego State University.

When asked about how she would make sure that students remain at the center of institutions’ decision making during “periods of change and resource constraints” Knight said that districts should lean on student data and demographics to learn about students’ needs. She said that it’s important for those in leadership positions to engage students directly.

Knight said, “I know that we all think as professionals that we always have the answers, […] but sometimes it’s really important to get the student perspective.”

When asked about how she would “navigate disagreements” between faculty, classified professionals and students at Peralta while ”maintain[ing] progress,” she said that it’s important to “recognize” all “stakeholders” in the “decision making process”

Disagreements are going to happen,” Knight said. “I think it’s important to have transparency. It’s important to be honest about what we’re doing and why.”

Gregory Anderson currently serves as the Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs and Student Learning at Ventura College, where he has held the position since September 2024.

He previously worked numerous positions at De Anza College, Cañada College, Saddleback College, Mt. San Antonio College, Riverside City College, and the Kern Community College District. The longest he served in any of those roles was as president of Riverside City College between 2019 and 2022. According to public records, Anderson’s total salary amounted to $99,577 in 2024. He currently lives in Southern California.

Anderson received his bachelor’s degree in speech communications and English from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, his master’s in teaching from the School for International Training, which is headquartered in Vermont, and his doctorate of education in educational leadership and administration from the University of Southern California.

In May 2022, Riverside’s faculty association gave Anderson a unanimous vote of no confidence for his “alleged lack of leadership, action and responsibility,” according to Viewpoints, Riverside City College’s student publication. After Anderson was dismissed following a June Board of Trustees meeting, he told Viewpoints that he had resigned.

Anderson is also the founder and owner of Khotso Educational Consulting, LLC, an educational consultant and private tutoring company, according to the its Yelp page. Public records show that the company’s principal office is located in a residential neighborhood in Irvine, CA.

At his public forum, Anderson stated that “the student experience should guide the structure of the colleges.” He gave an example of a tri-chair council that worked on accreditation at Riverside, a collection of college employees that was “incentivized” to work with the student government “at every step of the way.” Student involvement, Anderson said, needs to be “very intentional, very thoughtful, and the students need to see explicitly how their voice has been incorporated” in institutional decision making.

Lisa Cooper Wilkins has served as the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs at City College of San Francisco since December 2020. She has over 30 years of student support and education service experience at Drexel University, Northern Virginia Community College, University of the Pacific, Community College of Philadelphia, and San Joaquin Delta College. According to public records, her annual salary including total pay and benefits was $274,588 in 2023. Wilkins currently lives in the Bay Area.

Wilkins received her bachelor’s degree in history and international relations from Goucher College in Maryland, her master’s degree in counseling and human relations from Villanova University in Pennsylvania, a post-master’s certificate in counseling from Marymount University in Virginia, and her doctorate of education in higher education administration from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C..

Wilkins was appointed chair of City College’s Participatory Governance Council in 2021, according to the college’s student publication The Guardsman. She also serves as the President of the Umoja Community Education Foundation Board of Directors. Umoja is a California statewide learning program, geared towards the academic success of African American and Black students and reported a total revenue of $6.38 million in 2025. Wilkins also holds a seat on San Francisco’s Free City College Oversight Committee, which provides oversight on the Free City College Program’s funds, investments, and gives advice to the city’s Board of Supervisors.

During her forum, Wilkins noted the amount of Peralta students who take classes at more than one college. She emphasized creating consistency in the student experience across the four campuses.

“In the type of transformational change that is underway here at Peralta, people will need to be kept informed every step of the way,” Wilkins said. “Everyone should understand how their role connects to the ultimate student success strategies that the district is employing.”

Newin Orante most recently served as the Vice President of Student Services at Skyline College in San Bruno. He served as Skyline’s acting president from July 2023 to June 2025. He has 19 years of student support experience from previous roles at Los Medanos College, Laney College, and Diablo Valley College. According to public records, Orante’s total pay including benefits totaled $389,435.78 in 2024 for his role as Skyline’s acting president. He currently lives in the Bay Area.

Orante received his bachelor’s degree in general biology from San Francisco State University, studied general education at Contra Costa College, received his master’s in public administration and organizational development from California State University, East Bay, and received his doctorate in educational leadership, education, and equity from San Francisco State University.

When asked how he would balance each college’s “unique cultures, identities, and priorities,” Orante said that “the identities of institutions should be respected” but said that districts should know when to “pivot as an institution to where we actually capitalize” on the strengths of each college.

Lisa Cook has held the role of the Vice President of Instruction at Merritt College since 2023. She previously served as the Dean of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at Berkeley City College since 2016. Before that, she was an English for Speakers of Other Languages instructor at Laney College for 18 years. Cook is one of two candidates currently employed by Peralta.

Cook’s LinkedIn profile shows that she is based out of San Leandro. According to public records, her salary totaled $202,087.11 in 2024. She received her bachelor’s degree in writing and poetics from Naropa University in Colorado, and her master’s degree in applied linguistics from the University of Massachusetts, Boston.

“My leadership will be transparent,” Cook said during her forum. “If I don’t know the answer, or know where the data is, I’ll get that for you.”

“When we have pockets of excellence in Peralta, we tend to have them as pockets,” Cook said, regarding the balance of districtwide consistency and each college’s unique identity, “Policies and procedures should be the same at each college.”

Nicole Porter is the current Vice President of Instruction at College of Alameda (CoA), a position she has held since January 2025. Porter is one of two candidates currently employed by Peralta.

In her role as Vice President of Instruction, Porter is responsible for overseeing all classes and educational programs at CoA, including the library and career and workforce programs. According to public records, her contract as the Vice President of Instruction is expected to run through June 30, 2027, while receiving a $189,058 annual salary.

Before joining Peralta, Porter worked in several faculty and administrative roles during her time at American River College in Sacramento and Skyline College in San Bruno. At American River College, Porter was the Interim Vice President of Student Services and Equity from June 2023 through December 2024.

During the forum, Porter said that her experiences working as a faculty member and administrator gives her a better understanding of students’ pathways into higher education and the challenges they might face. She added that “engaging” with the Peralta community and having open conversations with students and employees is her top priority.

Elvin Ramos currently serves as the Dean of Social Sciences and Humanities at De Anza College, where he has held the role since April 2020. He is also the Principal Owner and Chief Executive of Sapphire Global Associates, LLC, a Sacramento based Business Consulting and Services company established in August 2020. Ramos is the founder of Global Tassels, an educational development organization, where he also currently serves as the Head of Global Network.

He has worked in educational and private business roles in New York, Washington, D.C., and California. According to public records, Ramos’ total pay for his role at De Anza was $309,094 in 2024. According to his LinkedIn, he currently lives in Cupertino. Ramos received his bachelor’s degree in political science and history and his master’s in social studies education from Adelphi University in New York, his doctorate of arts, history, and education from St. John’s University in New York, and his doctorate of philosophy in sustainable studies in education from Prescott College in Arizona.

“For me, [students] are our North Star. We wouldn’t be here without our students,” Ramos said during his forum, “Engaging them in dialogues, […] engaging them in our work when it comes down to belonging, when it comes down to inclusivity, is something that I feel like […] any initiatives we partake in the future, there should always be a student perspective.”

According to Peralta’s Deputy Chancellor and Chief Operating Officer, Greg Nelson, Chancellor Tammeil Gilkerson is expected to recommend three of the candidates to the Board of Trustees, who will vote on their employment at a board meeting in late June.