|
 Dr.
Daniel J. LaVista became Chancellor of the Los Angeles Community
College District (LACCD) on August 1, 2010. He was selected
in April, 2010 by the District’s Board of Trustees
to lead the nation’s largest community college district,
which is comprised of nine community colleges serving over
240,000 students annually.
It is the Chancellor’s principal
responsibility to provide the vision, leadership, and strategic
direction to ensure that the LACCD achieves goals set forth
by the Board of Trustees. Included in this responsibility
is oversight of the District’s $6 billion bond construction
program and its commitment to student achievement.
Dr. LaVista previously served as
Executive Director of the State Council of Higher Education
for Virginia (SCHEV) from 2004 to 2010. In that position,
he provided day-to-day leadership of the state agency that
coordinated efforts among the 23 community colleges of the
Virginia Community College System (VCCS), along with the
state’s 16 public four-year colleges and universities,
Virginia private institutions, and out-of-state institutions
with educational service operations in Virginia.
Among his other responsibilities with SCHEV, Dr. LaVista directed system-wide
strategic planning and policy development for Virginia higher education. He
also provided reports and recommendations about education policy issues to
Virginia’s Governor and General Assembly.
Prior to his leadership experience in Virginia, Dr. LaVista served as the
Executive Director of the Illinois Board of Higher Education, the state coordinating
board for higher education, from 2002-2004. From 1987-2002, he served as
president of two Illinois community colleges, McHenry County College and
College of Lake County, and as Chancellor for the Community Colleges of Baltimore
County System (MD).
Dr. LaVista, a native of upstate New York, earned a bachelor’s degree
from Siena College (NY). He went on to receive a master’s degree from
the University of Dayton (OH) and a Ph.D. in Speech and Dramatic Art from
Syracuse University (NY). He also earned a certificate for participation
in Harvard University’s Institute for Educational Management.
Dr. LaVista and his wife, Rosemary, have two grown children and live in Los
Angeles.
June 2011
|
