(Santa Ana, Calif.) – On Tuesday, May 26, 2020, at its regularly scheduled Board meeting, the Board of Trustees of the Rancho Santiago Community College District voted to name Marilyn Flores, Ph.D. as interim president of Santa Ana College, effective July 1. Flores has served as the vice president of academic affairs and administrator in charge in the absence of the college president at Santiago Canyon College since 2016. She will step into the role that is being vacated by the retirement of current president Dr. Linda Rose.
Dr. Flores has served in multiple roles for the district including her previously mentioned role as vice president of academic affairs at Santiago Canyon College, where she oversees four academic divisions with over 100 full time, over 200 part time faculty and approximately 25 classified staff. She also serves as the Chief Instructional Officer (CIO) and the Accreditation Liaison Officer (ALO). Formerly, Dr. Flores held the position of Dean, Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences and Library at Santiago Canyon College. Prior to joining the Rancho Santiago Community College District, she served as Dean, Arts, Letters and Social Sciences at Las Positas College, after holding various positions at Riverside City College from 2004 to 2012.
“Dr. Flores is an excellent administrator to lead Santa Ana College during this time of transition,” said Chancellor Marvin Martinez. “She knows our students, our district and our communities and is ready to step into this leadership role and help lead Santa Ana College as we move through this unprecedented time.”
As a seasoned educational leader having served for over 20 years in the California community colleges, Dr. Flores has provided oversight of academic programs and budgets, has been in charge of design, delivery, staffing, supervision and evaluation of division academic programs and ensured compliance and recommended policy for instructional services. Her responsibilities have also included quality, integrity, and administration of instructional programs and coordinating and facilitating the development and implementation of redesigned and articulated curriculum.
Dr. Flores’ commitment to providing excellent educational opportunities for students is evident in her long standing career in community college academia and leadership as a dean, associate dean, program director, consultant and researcher. She has been honored as Educator of the Year at the Inland Empire Hispanic Image Awards and received a Hispanic Border Leadership Institute Doctoral Fellowship at the University of California, Riverside.
Flores earned a Ph.D. in institutional leadership and policy studies and University of California, Riverside. She earned a master of arts degree in education with a Bilingual Crosscultural Language in Academic Development (BCLAD) teaching credential at University of California, Los Angeles, and a bachelor’s degree. in liberal studies with a concentration in education and spanish at the University of California, Riverside.
About Santa Ana College
Santa Ana College (SAC), which turned 100 years old in 2015, serves about 27,000 students each semester at its main campus in Santa Ana. The college prepares students for transfer to four-year institutions and provides invaluable workforce training and customized training for business and industry. In addition, another 11,000 students are served through the college’s School of Continuing Education located at Centennial Education Center. Ranked as one of the nation’s top two-year colleges awarding associate degrees to Latino and Asian students, the college is also recognized throughout the state for its comprehensive workforce training programs for nurses, firefighters, law enforcement and other medical personnel. SAC is one of two comprehensive colleges under the auspices of the Rancho Santiago Community College District.
