New L.A. community college Chancellor Alberto J. Román pledges ‘culture of accountability’

• Alberto J. Román had been appointed interim chancellor of the college system after the surprise resignation of Francisco C. Rodriguez last year.
• He was previously the president of East L.A. College, where he oversaw the launch of a pioneering Central American studies program.

Alberto J. Román, the interim chancellor of the Los Angeles Community College District who assumed the post amid the system’s yearslong reckoning with legal troubles, was appointed to the permanent role Wednesday by the district’s Board of Trustees. 

Román, who pledged a “culture of accountability,” had been named interim chancellor after Francisco C. Rodriguez abruptly resigned last year, shocking critics and champions alike.

During Rodriguez’s decade at the helm, the nine-college district faced lawsuits alleging gender discrimination, sexual harassment and whistleblower retaliation, among other claims. He and the trustees endured a vote of no confidence from the district’s Academic Senate in 2024 that centered on what it described as a failure to sufficiently address sexual harassment and discrimination claims, among other concerns.

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