Brian King, chancellor of the Los Rios Community College District, announced his retirement at the end of the 2025-26 academic year on Tuesday, March 11 after 13 years with the district. His retirement announcement gives the district over a year to find his replacement.
“When I came to Los Rios, it had the reputation as the best multi-college district in the state of California,” King said in a news release statement. “Thirteen years later, I’m proud that this is still the case.”
Over the last decade as chancellor, King has overseen the opening of two outreach centers, one in Elk Grove and the other in Rancho Cordova. He also established the Los Rios Promise Program, which covers the costs and removes any financial barriers for students.
Kelly Wilkerson, president of the Los Rios Board of Trustees, said the district’s Board of Trustees was grateful for King’s time at Los Rios in a news release statement. “Chancellor King has shepherded our district through tumultuous times, always keeping students at the forefront of his decision-making.”
While this retirement announcement might seem sudden to some, King shares that this is not a goodbye.
“Though I’m announcing a timeline for my retirement today, this is far from goodbye,” said King, “We’ve got a lot of work to do to expand access to our colleges and help students especially first-generation students and students of color.”
Controversy has also been present under King’s leadership. Three of the district’s four colleges’ academic senate advisory bodies — American River College, Sacramento City College, and Cosumnes River College — previously issued votes of no confidence in his leadership, as reported in The Connection, Cosumnes River College’s student-run news publication.
The crucial issue was the abrupt closure of Davies Hall at ARC in 2023. The ARC’s no confidence resolution cited the fact that district administrators, including King, withheld safety issues concerning the building for over a year while the building was still in use.
Despite these challenges, the Los Rios board of trustees supported King’s leadership by approving a 4 percent salary increase in 2024, according to The Connection.
According to the board of trustees in the news release, the search for King’s successor has already begun.
