practices have to keep pace. Over the years
he also built on his practical expertise as
a licensed CPA by becoming a Certified
Internal Auditor, Chartered Global
Management Accountant, and Certified
Quality Analyst.
During the early 2000s, Steve took
a position as Vice President of Business
Services at Monterey Peninsula College.
From there, he became Vice Chancellor
for Business Services for the West Valley-
Mission Community College District,
where he managed a broad range of services
including: finance, IT, facilities operations,
purchasing, campus police, construction
planning and more.
According to Albert Moore, Vice
Chancellor of Human Resources at West
Valley-Mission, “Steve brought steady
leadership and a fresh sense of unity to the
various administrative service areas. I assist-
ed him in his development of a strategic
master plan for West Valley-Mission that
encompassed all of the services under his
umbrella as well as HR and the Chancellor’s
office. We continue to build on that plan
today.”
Moore added that, “Gavilan has
benefitted not only from his business and
leadership skills and longevity with the
district, but also his connection to the local
community. Steve has really helped to put
Gavilan on the map.”
Fruitful Years Back at Gavilan
Things came full-circle in 2003 when the
trustees of Gavilan College invited Steve
back as President. Soon after stepping into
his role, Steve advocated for the passage
of Measure E, a $108 million general
obligation facilities bond to provide funds
for the entire Gavilan system. It passed in
2004. Today, Gavilan operates campuses in
Gilroy and Hollister as well as classrooms in
Morgan Hill. The Coyote Valley Education
Center is slated to open this fall and plans
are in place to open a San Benito campus
in the future.
In 2013, Gavilan received a six-
year accreditation from the Accrediting
Commission for Community and
Junior Colleges (ACCJC) in the western
U.S. Accreditation is measured against
defined standards to ensure degree programs
are of value to students and their degrees
will be recognized as legitimate by other
schools, employers, and trade or profession-
related licensing agencies. Steve has served
as a Commissioner of the ACCJC for more
than six years and is currently its Chair.
That same year, Steve hired Fred
Harris as Gavilan’s Vice President of
Administrative Services. They got to know
each other during Fred’s 17 years working
as Assistant Vice Chancellor of College
Finance and Facilities Planning for the
California Community College District.
According to Fred, “When I was in
Sacramento, Steve was on my speed dial. I
called him when I needed a clear perspec-
tive on fiscal conditions at the local district
level. His analyses were so complete they
provided a basis for shaping state policy.
Steve’s combined background, knowledge
and perspective is rare in our profession
these days.”
“Steve was a great mentor in the early days of my career. He not only taught me about the
technical aspects of our work, but also how to lead and implement change in a diverse community college district.”
Victoria Lewis, VP of Administrative Services, Cabrillo College
14
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
MAY/JUNE 2016
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