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LOS ANGELES, CA (August 2, 2010) -- Dr. Daniel LaVista today assumed his post as Chancellor of the Los Angeles Community College District.

Dr. LaVista, the former Executive Director of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, was selected in April by the LACCD Board of Trustees after a nationwide search for a new leader for the nation’s largest community college district.

"The LACCD welcomes Dr. LaVista, who brings tremendous experience and leadership skills to help us focus on student success as we begin our fall semester," said Georgia L. Mercer, President of the LACCD Board of Trustees.

"Although the District faces many challenges, it is positioned to be a national model for student success," Dr. LaVista said.

Dr. LaVista, 66, had led the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia from August, 2004, until June, 2010. In that position, he provided day-to-day management of an agency that coordinated efforts among the 23 community colleges of the Virginia Community College System, along with the state’s 16 public and two- and four-year colleges and universities, as well as private and out-of-state institutions.

Before taking the Virginia position, Dr. LaVista was the Executive Director of the Illinois Board of Higher Education. He also was president of two Illinois community colleges, McHenry County College and the College of Lake County, and was Chancellor for the Community Colleges of Baltimore County in Maryland.

Dr. LaVista, a native of upstate New York, earned a bachelor’s degree from Siena College in New York. He went on to receive a master’s degree from the University of Dayton and a Ph.D. in Speech and Dramatic Art from Syracuse University. He also earned a certificate for participation in Harvard University’s Institute for Educational Management.

As LACCD Chancellor, he will be paid an annual salary of $370,000. He also will receive health benefits and relocation expenses.

Dr. LaVista and his wife, Rosemary, have two grown children.

Since August, 2009, the LACCD had been headed by Interim Chancellor Tyree Wieder, the former president of Los Angeles Valley College. She retired from her Valley College position in 2008, but agreed to come back to temporarily lead the District after the departure of the previous Chancellor, Dr. Marshall (Mark) Drummond.

To assist in the transition, Dr. Wieder is now an Assistant to the Chancellor.

"We are extremely pleased that Dr. Wieder will continue to play a key role during the transition," President Mercer said.

ABOUT THE LACCD
The Los Angeles Community College District, the nation's largest community college district, serves one-quarter million students a year in more than 36 cities in Los Angeles County. The District covers nearly 900 square miles and has educated and trained the region's diverse workforce since 1969.

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