The San Mateo County Community College District (SMCCCD) Board of Trustees has selected Melissa Moreno for the permanent position of chancellor, the San Mateo Daily Journal reported Saturday. Laney College President Rudy Besikof was one of four finalists for the position. 

Moreno has served as Interim Chancellor for SMCCCD since April of last year. She joined the district as President of Skyline College in August 2020, and has over 18 years of experience in educational leadership. Moreno is also formerly a licensed attorney in the state of California.

Besikof’s contract as Laney College President was extended in February, through June 20, 2025. 

Why SMCCCD needs a chancellor

In 2019, longtime SMCCCD Chancellor Ron Galatolo stepped down from the role after a whistleblower complaint alleged public corruption against him.

Galatolo was arrested in April 2022 and currently faces 23 felony charges, including charges of embezzlement and misuse of public funds. In July 2023, he told the San Mateo Daily Journal that he was “truly innocent.”

The SMCCCD Board of Trustees appointed Michael Claire to the role of Interim Chancellor in 2019. He was named for the permanent position in 2020.

However, in June 2022, Claire announced his decision to retire by June 30, 2023. SMCCCD began its search to hire a permanent chancellor, and narrowed the search down to three finalists in November 2022. 

In January 2023, one candidate publicly announced that he had been offered the position, but chose to decline it.

In February 2023, SMCCCD announced its decision to restart the chancellor search, stating that the candidate’s public announcement “compromised” the confidentiality of the search. The SMCCCD Board of Trustees selected Moreno to serve as Interim Chancellor in the meantime.

Correction 4/15/24 at 12:46 pm: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Moreno is a licensed attorney, as stated in her bio. Moreno’s license has been inactive since 12/21/2023, according to the California State Bar.