Dr. Brian King brings leadership skills to serve more than 80,000 students

Dr. Brian King accepted the position of chancellor for the Los Rios Community College District and will begin his new job on Feb. 1, 2013. The position was left vacant after Dr. Brice Harris retired.  Harris recently came out of retirement and accepted the position of the 15th Chancellor of the California Community College District, overseeing 112 colleges. Deputy Chancellor Jon Sharpe served as interim chancellor and will return to his seat on the board.

The Los Rios District includes American River, Sacramento City, Folsom Lake and Consumnes River. More than 80,000 students attend these four campuses, making Los Rios the second largest district in California.

“We were looking for a person with exceptional leadership skills and broad community college experience,” Los Rios board president Ruth Scribner said in a press release. “We found those qualities, combined with great personal integrity and a passion for student success, in Dr. King and we look forward to many years of his expert guidance at the helm of our district.”

King, current president of Cabrillo College in Aptos, Calif., has held teaching and administrative positions in community colleges for over 20 years. During his eight-year tenure at Cabrillo College, King brought in more than $20 million in private donations and established new guidelines for measuring student success.

King is active in several civic groups, serves on various boards and many state organizations. He earned his B.A. in history from the University of Missouri. In addition, he holds a J.D. from Duke University School of Law as well as an Ed.D in higher education from the University of Arkansas.

“It is a true honor to have been selected to lead such a great district,” King said in the press release. “The excellent reputation of Los Rios, its programs, faculty and staff are what encouraged me to seek this position and I look forward to continuing and enhancing that reputation for years to come.”