Delta College president/superintendent Dr. Lisa Aguilera Lawrenson is among the three finalists to become the next chancellor of the Los Rios Community College District, according to the district’s official announcement.
The other finalists are Dr. Art Pimentel, president of Folsom Lake College known for leading historic enrollment growth and securing major philanthropic investments, and Dr. Torrence Powell, superintendent/president of Napa Valley College who previously spent more than a decade in Los Rios in instructional leadership roles.
If selected, Lawrenson would take the helm of one of the largest community college districts in California, serving more than 80,000 students and 6,000 employers across Sacramento City, American River, Cosumnes River, and Folsom Lake colleges.
Her candidacy also comes while several major campus initiatives are underway.
Delta is preparing for its 2026 reaccreditation cycle, beginning long-term Measure K construction and modernization projects, and continuing work on enrollment and budget planning. A departure at this stage would require the district to manage those processes under interim leadership.
The timing also coincides with an evaluation scheduled for the Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday, according to the agenda.
Los Rios search started in early Fall
Los Rios chancellor search began in early fall, with the district launching a months-long process involving campus forums, community engagement, and a districtwide survey. According to the Los Rios webpage dedicated to the search, feedback from faculty, staff, students and community partners highlighted “leadership,” “students,” “community,” “education,” and “commitment” as the top characteristics desired in the next chancellor. The application window closed on Oct. 15, and first-round interviews were held the week of Nov. 10.
The chancellor will be responsible for providing “advocacy in keeping with the district’s mission and rich traditions as a premier resource for higher education in the region,” the district’s profile states. Next steps include a series of public forums, town halls and campus tours for finalists during the week of Dec. 8, which coincides with finals week at Delta College.
Forums will be held starting at 9 a.m. on Dec. 8, and will be livestreamed on Youtube.
Los Rios lists the new chancellor’s start date as “TBD,” making it unclear whether Lawrenson would depart Delta during the current academic year if she is selected.
Lawrenson’s career in the community college system
Lawrenson has spent nearly three decades in the community college system, beginning her career as an English and humanities professor at South Puget Sound Community College, where she taught for more than ten years. She later moved into administrative roles within the Los Rios Community College District, serving first as Dean of Humanities at American River College and eventually becoming the college’s Vice President of Instruction. She also held the role of Interim Vice President of Instruction and Student Learning at Cosumnes River College, giving her experience across multiple Los Rios campuses, the same district she is now a finalist to lead.
She joined Delta College in July 2020 as Interim Assistant Superintendent/Vice President of Instruction and Planning, stepping into the permanent role that November.
When then-President Omid Pourzanjani announced he would resign at the end of his term, Lawrenson was appointed Acting Superintendent/President during the Fall 2021 semester. In that role, she oversaw Delta’s response to the pseudo-student fraud surge that started under Pourzanjani and drew statewide attention, as well as early planning for the college’s return to in-person operations during the pandemic.
“I hope I’ve been able to express to you my love of this college and I don’t say that lightly,” said Lawrenson during a forum on May 2, 2022 in Atherton Auditorium. “I love coming to work here everyday. I love the people that I meet in the community and that sense of working together for the sake of the greater good and I just love that.”
After a semester-long national search that included finalist forums and interviews, Delta’s Board of Trustees selected Lawrenson as the permanent superintendent/president on May 10, 2022. Her appointment made her the first Latina to lead Delta College, designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution.
Lawrenson often points to her personal background as shaping her commitment to the system. She has said her first exposure to community colleges came in preschool, when her mother — a first-generation college student — attended classes while raising three children. She later completed her own Ed.D. in Community College Leadership, conducting dissertation research at Delta.
During Lawrenson’s tenure as Delta College president, the institution secured a historic $598 million Measure K bond to modernize classrooms and facilities, embarked on major infrastructure improvements including a $13 million renovation of its athletic fields, funded through Measure L, a 2004 bond measure used for earlier campus modernization projects. Enrollment rebounded toward pre-pandemic levels during this period, and Lawrenson spearheaded equity-focused initiatives, for example, forming a new Equity Action Task Force in 2023 “to help close achievement gaps and bolster student support,” according to Delta College.
Her presidency also saw the campus navigate a series of major challenges. In early 2023, storm-related flooding damaged several campus buildings, temporarily displacing classes and operations. In 2024, a vandalism incident targeting an all-gender restroom prompted public statements from college leaders reaffirming Delta’s commitment to inclusion and safety. A governance shake-up also unfolded that year, with a trustee resigning amid a legal dispute over her eligibility to serve on the board.
In 2025, Delta faced a new wave of institutional uncertainty amid President Donald J. Trump’s second term. Federal funding for the Empowering Positive Initiatives for Change (EPIC) program was frozen, jeopardizing key student support services. In response to the escalating concern over new federal immigration policies, the district reaffirmed its sanctuary campus status, passing a resolution in support of undocumented and LGBTQIA+ students.
“The current political climate and rhetoric, particularly targeting immigrant communities, have heightened fear, uncertainty, and mental health challenges among undocumented students and their families, necessitating an unequivocal reaffirmation of SJDC’s role as a safe, welcoming, and supportive institution,” the measure, passed unanimously on Dec. 17, 2024, reads.
