The Mendocino-Lake Community College Board of Trustees approved the appointment of their next Superintendent/President Dr. Tim Karas on Wednesday evening at their regularly scheduled June meeting. Dr. Karas’ new role will officially begin July 13. Dr. Karas will be leaving his post as the President of the College of Alameda, a position he has held since 2016.

“I could not be more honored, excited and exceptionally proud to be named the Superintendent/President of Mendocino-Lake Community College District. I am immensely grateful for and sincerely humbled by the confidence and trust that the search committee and the Board of Trustees has demonstrated in me,” stated Dr. Karas.

Dr. Karas has spent the last two decades working in the California Community College system. Prior to serving as the President at the College of Alameda, he held the position of Vice-President of Instruction. Previous positions held include Dean of Liberal Studies and Language Arts at Mission College and tenured faculty member at College of San Mateo.

Dr. Karas was the first person in his family to attend college. He received an Associate Degree from West Valley College, a Bachelor of Arts in Geography from Humboldt State University, and a Masters in Library and Information Science from San Jose State University. He completed his doctoral studies in the field of Educational Leadership at Fielding Graduate University in 2017.

Dr. Karas has served on several community boards, committees, and commissions, including Rotary, the City of San Jose Library Commission, Bond and Parcel Tax Citizen Oversight Committees, and the Santa Clara County Sister County Commission. Dr. Karas co-authored a chapter in the book Campus Partnership in Small Academic Libraries: Challenges and Rewards.

“I look forward to connecting with individuals and organizations from Round Valley, Lakeport, Fort Bragg, Ukiah, Leggett, Willits, and every amazing community in between to fulfill Mendocino College’s mission to embrace its role as an intellectual, economic, and cultural anchor for the region,” stated Dr. Karas.

Mendocino College Vice President of Administrative Services, Eileen Cichocki has been serving as the college’s Interim Superintendent/President since August of 2019, after the previous president took a new position at a community college in southern California.

“On behalf of the entire governing board I am grateful to Dr. Karas for his interest in Mendocino College and his desire to take this amazing institution to the next level during some very challenging times. I want to thank Eileen Cichocki, our Interim Superintendent/President who navigated us through some rough seas with unwavering grace. We are lucky to have the best Vice President of Administrative Services in the entire community college system,” stated Mendocino College Board President Robert Jason Pinoli.