SOCCCD trustees appoint Thomas Fallo as acting chancellor

The South Orange County Community College District Board of Trustees unanimously voted to appoint Dr. Thomas Fallo as the acting chancellor, replacing Dr. Debra Fitzsimons who recently announced her retirement Oct. 11, according to a news release

Fallo will oversee the colleges’ and district’s operations, an $800 million budget and approximately 4,000 employees. His official start day as chancellor was today.

“Dr. Fallo’s excellent reputation and long and successful career as a community college president/superintendent made him an outstanding choice to serve as our acting chancellor,” said Board of Trustees President Timothy Jamal in the release. “We are very fortunate to have him join our district and the board of trustees looks forward to working with him.”

Dr. Thomas Fallo serves as the South Orange County Community College District acting chancellor after an unanimous vote by the Board of Trustees Monday, Nov. 20. (Courtesy of SOCCCD)

Fallo had previously worked with several California Community Colleges, retiring from El Camino College in 2016 after 21 years of service as the college’s superintendent and president.

He has earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and a Master of Business Administration from the University of California, Los Angeles as well as a Doctorate in Institutional Management from Pepperdine University.

“I was interested to serve as acting chancellor of the South Orange County Community College District because of its excellent reputation and commitment to innovation in academics and services to students,” Fallo said at the closed board session Monday evening. “I thank the Board of Trustees for their confidence in me and I look forward to working with the students, faculty, staff, and administration of Saddleback College and Irvine Valley College.”

Fallo will serve as acting chancellor until the summer of 2018, the approximate time the board believes it will take to hire a permanent chancellor.

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