All four of the top leadership positions at Oxnard College are either vacant or occupied by someone filling in on a temporary basis.
Oxnard College President Roberto Gonzalez is on leave, and so is the college’s vice president for business services, according to an email sent March 12 to Oxnard College faculty from the executive assistant to Rick MacLennan, the chancellor of the Ventura County Community College District. The email did not say why they are on leave or when they might return, and district officials refused to answer questions about the topic.
There are two other vice president posts at Oxnard College, and both are empty. The two people in those jobs both left in January for similar positions at other community colleges in Southern California.
It’s the first time in Oxnard College’s 51-year history that every top leadership position has been “transitional, provisional or interim,” Cynthia Herrera, a district vice chancellor, told Oxnard College’s Faculty Senate during its March 23 meeting.
Herrera has been serving as acting president of Oxnard College since March 16.
“We understand the unintended stress this can cause on people,” she told the faculty members. “It’s the not knowing, and the transitioning. Our students have not been impacted, and it’s because of you that our students can continue and not know what’s going on.”
Gonzalez could not be reached for comment, and district administrators and elected trustees declined requests to be interviewed. In an email to The Star, Chelsee Russell, a district spokesperson, declined to comment on anyone’s leave, citing the confidentiality of personnel actions and records.
Russell said the district is currently recruiting for its vacant positions, and that it’s not unusual at any community college for vacancies to be filled on in interim basis while that happens.
“The district approaches staffing and leadership transitions with a focus on continuity, stability, and strong support for each college. … As part of ongoing operations, transitions are managed to ensure that day-to-day functions and student services continue without disruption,” Russell said.
College president was under fire from faculty
Gonzalez’s leave isn’t the only recent instability in the president’s offices of Ventura County’s community colleges. Gonzalez was hired as Oxnard College president in the summer of 2024. His predecessor was an interim president; the previous permanent Oxnard College president, Luis Sanchez, was fired in January 2023 after spending months on leave. Email records obtained by The Star through the California Public Records Act revealed that Sanchez had been investigated for allegedly harassing women he worked with.
There’s been turnover in the Ventura College president’s office, too. Claudia Lourido-Habib was hired to run Ventura College in 2024, at the same Gonzalez took over Oxnard College. She lasted a little more than a year, stepping down in September 2025.
A Ventura College employee had filed a racial discrimination complaint against Lourido-Habib, which district administrators determined to be unsubstantiated. The employee appealed to the district board, which also exonerated Lourido-Habib, but she resigned shortly after that hearing.
When Lourido-Habid resigned, many faculty members spoke before the board to praise her leadership and criticize the district for her departure. On the other hand, faculty at Oxnard College did not appear happy with Gonzalez. Before he went on leave, the Faculty Senate released an open letter to Gonzalez “to express a set of faculty concerns about insufficient communication from executive leadership.”
The letter said that Oxnard College administrators had violated the principles of “shared governance” that give faculty a voice in how the school is run. There have been “large-scale course reductions” without consulting faculty or providing enough transparency about the college’s financial situation, the letter states. The faculty also took issue with Oxnard College’s policies for renting out space to community groups, saying the charges have become excessive.
School trustee: Instability ‘a legitimate concern’
Even before Gonzalez and the vice president for business services were put on leave, there were concerns in the community about instability at Oxnard College.
“When there’s instability it always causes some people to question what impact it will have, what the trickle-down effects will be,” said Karen Sher, a trustee with the Oxnard Union High School District. “I think that’s a legitimate concern for our students.”
During a Feb. 11 meeting of the Oxnard Union High School District board, Sher asked the board to schedule a future discussion of how the two vacancies in the vice president posts might affect the high school district’s relationship with the college and the ability of high school students to enroll in college classes.
Martita Martinez-Bravo, a Camarillo city councilmember, said she’s concerned about whether the turnover at the top is affecting Oxnard College students. She said she hopes the college district can use this opportunity “to reinforce a leadership structure that supports long-term student success.”
“The community colleges are an important regional partner in workforce development, in higher education access, in economic mobility,” Martinez-Bravo said. “I’m sure any hiring and firing are complex dynamics that I’m not privy to, but I think the most important piece is that people need to come together to center the academic success of their students.”
On Jan. 28, Gonzalez appeared before the Camarillo City Council for a routine presentation on Oxnard College and how it serves Camarillo residents. Citing the then-recent departure of the two vice presidents, Martinez-Bravo asked him what he was doing to “prioritize local talent and retain excellent workers and leaders.”
Gonzalez said hiring and retaining the best teachers and administrators was a top priority. With two top-level vacancies, he said, “Right now, I’m three people.”
“I am the vice president of student services, the vice president of academic affairs and the president,” Gonzalez said. “I’m working with everybody to help keep the boat afloat.”
Tony Biasotti is an investigative and watchdog reporter for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at tbiasotti@vcstar.com. This story was made possible by a grant from the Ventura County Community Foundation’s Fund to Support Local Journalism.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Two Oxnard College leaders on leave, two more top spots vacant
Reporting by Tony Biasotti, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
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