Raúl Rodríguez, Ph.D. has served as a community college president or chancellor for more than 26 years. Currently, Dr. Rodríguez is the Interim Chancellor of San Jose – Evergreen Community College District in San Jose, California. Prior to that, he served as Interim Superintendent/President at Hartnell College and Interim President at East Los Angeles College. From 2010 to 2019, Dr. Rodríguez served as the Chancellor of the Rancho Santiago Community College District (RSCCD). As Chancellor of one of the largest community college districts in the state of California, Dr. Rodríguez oversaw a district that covers one quarter of the land area of Orange County, registers an annual enrollment of more than 60,000 students and is one of the largest employers in the region with more than 4,000 employees.
Prior to joining RSCCD, Dr. Rodríguez held a number of positions in both single college and multi-college community college districts in California. An educator for more than 35 years, his previous administrative experience includes the following:
• Superintendent/President of San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton;
• President of Los Medanos College in the Contra Costa
Community College District;
• Interim President of San José City College;
• Vice President of Instruction, San José City College; and,
• Dean of Instruction, Cabrillo College in Aptos, California, among others.
Dr. Rodríguez earned a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. He also possesses a Master’s Degree in School and Applied Psychology from Fairfield University and a B.A. in Liberal Studies from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. An educator who taught psychology at Cabrillo College and the University of California, Santa Cruz, he is also a graduate of the Harvard Institute for Educational Management.
Dr. Rodríguez previously served for seven years on the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges and he served a two-year term as chair. He has extensive accreditation experience. He chaired accreditation team visits to College of Alameda, Columbia College, Golden West College, the Los Angeles County College of Nursing and Allied Health, Saddleback College, Santa Monica College, De Anza College, Cuesta College and Santa Barbara City College. He also served as a team member on numerous other accreditation team visits.
Community and professional service has always been a high priority for Dr. Rodríguez. He is currently on the board of the National Community College Hispanic Council and on the Board of Stewards of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation in Scottsdale, Arizona. Dr. Rodríguez previously served for eight years as a board member of the Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce, for three years on the Orange County Taxpayers Association, and for three years on the International Consortium for Educational and Economic Development (ICEED). In 2012 he was elected to the board of the Chief Executive Officers of the California Community Colleges and appointed to the Executive Board of the CSU Fullerton Doctor of Educational Leadership Program. In addition, Dr. Rodríguez has been a member of the League of United Latin American Citizens and served as a board member on multiple non-profit organizations, including the Boys & Girls Club, the Goodwill, the Junior Achievement, and the United Way.
