In a unanimous vote, the Pasadena City College Board of Trustees has chosen educator
and administrator José A. Gómez, Ph.D., to serve as Interim Superintendent/President of the college.
Upon approval of his contract, Dr. Gómez is expected to assume the role in mid-July.
He will serve during the college's forthcoming search for a permanent chief executive.
"Dr. Gómez embodies the excellence and opportunities of community colleges, where
he began his education journey as a community college student," said Sandra Chen Lau,
president of the PCC Board of Trustees. "His breadth and depth of experience in higher
education and in public policy provide the knowledge to lead PCC in this time of transition.
"His impeccable academic credentials and track record as an innovative, accomplished
educator and administrator will serve the college well. As a Pasadena resident and
a San Gabriel Valley native, he is a member of our community."
Dr. Jose Gomez is currently executive vice president, provost, and chief operating
officer at California State University, Los Angeles. In his 13 years at Cal State
LA, he has led major initiatives to expand opportunities for students, including the
university's downtown campus, the Prison B.A. Graduation Initiative, and the regional
collaboration incubator Cal State LA BioSpace.
During Dr. Gómez's time as provost, Cal State LA's enrollment and graduation rates
have climbed, and the university was named a Champion of Higher Education for Excellence
in Transfer by the Campaign for College Opportunity. He also established the public-private
partnership between the Los Angeles Football Club and Cal State LA to renovate the
university's stadium field and construct a new state-of-the-art professional soccer
training and operations facility on campus.
Prior to arriving at Cal State, Dr. Gómez served as higher education adviser to the
president pro tem of the California Senate and was also executive director of the
California Educational Facilities Authority, where he assisted colleges with more
than $1 billion in financing for campus development projects.
As an educator, Dr. Gómez has taught courses at Cal State LA, USC, Chaffey College,
and Mt. San Antonio College, where he received the Educator of Distinction Award.
His board service includes terms with the Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Senior College and University Commission, the Los Angeles County Economic Development
Corporation, the Western Justice Center Foundation, the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles,
The Broad Center, and the advisory board to Teach for America Los Angeles.
Dr. Gómez was raised in the San Gabriel Valley, and as a first-generation college
student he attended Mt. San Antonio College and Citrus College before transferring
to Cal Poly Pomona. His master's and doctoral degrees are from the University of Southern
California, where he was a Steven B. Sample Presidential Fellow. He received Cal Poly
Pomona's Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2019.
Dr. Gómez lives in Pasadena with his wife, Catherine, their three children, and two
dogs.
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