SCCCD Board Names Interim Chancellor
State Center Community College District (SCCCD) Board President, Annalisa Perea, announced on March 2, 2021 the appointment of Dr. Douglas B. Houston to the position of Interim Chancellor effective May 1, 2021. SCCCD Chancellor, Dr. Paul Parnell will be retiring on July 6, 2021. The Board is launching a national search to replace Parnell who has been with the District since 2016.
Dr. Douglas B. Houston serves as the Chancellor of the Yuba Community College District in Northern California with colleges in Yuba and Yolo Counties and with campuses in Colusa, Lake and Sutter Counties. His 43-year career has been in various leadership roles: as an administrator to several community colleges, as commander of various military units, as a Boy Scout leader, and in various leadership roles in his church and community. He has taught full and part-time at the community college and university level, including as a physics professor at West Point.
Higher Education is his second career; he retired from the U.S. Army Reserves having served in various Reserve and National Guard assignments and a decade on active duty as a Regular Army Officer. In California’s Community Colleges, he has served in various administrative positions at Barstow College, Butte College in Oroville and then as the President of Lassen College in Susanville, California where he successfully led the College's accreditation and fiscal recovery.
He currently serves as the Co-Chair of the California Community College Veterans Caucus and as the immediate past-president for the Board of the Association of California Community College Administrators; he also serves on the Advisory Board for Wheelhouse: The Center for Community College Leadership and Research at U.C. Davis and the CSU Sacramento Educational Doctorate program and is a long-serving member of the California Community Colleges.
Economic Development Policy Advisory Council. Dr. Houston Co-Chaired the development of the California Community College “CEO Strategic Leadership Program” providing comprehensive professional development growth and support programs for the State’s community college leaders including the annual “CEO Leadership Academy.”
“The Board is pleased to appoint Dr. Houston as Interim Chancellor. His successful track record as a respected state-wide leader in community colleges coupled with his experience working in a multi-college district make him the ideal choice for this significant position as we search for a permanent chancellor. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, we want to congratulate Dr. Houston and look forward to working with him,” said Board President Perea.
“I am humbled to serve as the interim chancellor. State Center Community College District has a rich history of quality instruction, programs and student success; it is home to the first and to the newest of California’s community colleges. This is an exciting time to join that legacy as the District constructs several new state-of-the-art facilities and continues to improve the educational experience for students. I look forward to working with the Board, faculty, staff, students and community and supporting the search for the next chancellor,” said Dr. Houston.
Dr. Houston’s educational background includes a B.S. and M.S. in physics from the University of Florida and a doctorate in educational leadership from Pepperdine University.
