PCC Board Selects Dr. José A. Gómez as Chief Executive

The Pasadena Area Community College District Board of Trustees has selected Dr. José A. Gómez to serve as the next permanent superintendent/president of Pasadena City College.

The decision was made at a special meeting on Friday. Dr. Gómez, who is currently serving as interim superintendent/president, has accepted the position in principle, with the offer contingent upon terms of an agreement that will be finalized in the coming months. 

“We are thrilled to have Dr. José Gómez serve Pasadena City College in this permanent role at an incredible time in our history,” said Alton Wang, president of the Board of Trustees. “He will serve with a community that is charting the future of what California’s community colleges can provide for students, jobseekers, and their families. With our centennial celebration on the horizon, my colleagues on the board and I cannot wait to continue this journey with Dr. Gómez.”

“I am grateful for the opportunity to continue leading Pasadena City College as its superintendent/president,” Dr. Gómez said. “PCC is the premier community college in the nation, and I am looking forward to working alongside our Board of Trustees and our incredibly dedicated faculty, staff, and administrators to help our students achieve their dreams and to fulfill our public responsibility to serve our community and our region.”

Prior to his appointment as PCC’s interim superintendent/president, Dr. Gómez served as executive vice president, provost (the university’s chief academic officer), and chief operating officer at California State University, Los Angeles. At Cal State LA, Dr. Gómez was instrumental in strategic efforts to enhance student success, elevate fundraising, and deepen engagement with the region through partnerships with government and industry. 

Dr. Gómez led major initiatives to expand opportunities for students at Cal State LA, including Cal State LA’s downtown campus; the Prison Graduation Initiative, California’s first bachelor’s degree program taught in state prison; and Cal State LA BioSpace, a regional incubator promoting inclusive entrepreneurship. He also established a partnership with the Los Angeles Football Club to renovate the university’s stadium field and construct a professional soccer training and operations facility on campus. 

As a faculty member, Dr. Gómez has taught courses at Chaffey College, Mt. San Antonio College, Cal State LA, and USC. He previously served as higher education adviser to the president pro tem of the California Senate, executive director of the California Educational Facilities Authority, and held senior positions in the California Department of Justice and the State Treasurer’s Office. 

Dr. Gómez is a Pasadena resident, and his experience as a first-generation college student, raised in the San Gabriel Valley, has inspired his three-decade career in education and government. He received Cal Poly Pomona’s Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2019.

“This selection process was a success thanks to the efforts of people across our community,” Trustee Wang said. “The board truly could not have made it to this point without the deep involvement of students, faculty, staff, and community members, as well as our team of search consultants. My colleagues on the board and I greatly respect the importance of this work, and we carefully considered the input we received from people throughout the college. I also want to recognize the work of Trustee Kristine Kwong, our immediate past president, who shepherded this process from the beginning.” 

The Board of Trustees is expected to approve a final agreement by mid-June.