SACRAMENTO — California Community Colleges Board of Governors President Amy M. Costa and Chancellor Sonya Christian this week welcomed Nan Gomez-Heitzeberg and Cirian Villavicencio to the California Community Colleges Board of Governors.

Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Gomez-Heitzeberg and Villavicencio to the board.

“It is an honor to welcome new members Nan Gomez-Heitzeberg and Cirian Villavicencio to our board,” Costa said. “Their impressive backgrounds and extensive knowledge in higher education will be of great service to our students as we continue to implement our new strategic framework, Vision 2030.”

“Gomez-Heitzeberg and Villavicencio have worked directly with our students, and their commitment and insights will help us move our system forward,” Christian said. “Both will undoubtedly use their new roles to continue to be strong leaders and advocates for our students, who remain at the core of everything we do.”

Gomez-Heitzeberg has over 40 years of experience in higher education. She has served in the classroom, as an administrator and currently is a trustee of the Kern Community College District. Her career at the Kern district started as a professor at Porterville College. She spent 30 years as an administrator at Bakersfield College before retiring as vice president of instruction.

Villavicencio is currently an instructor at San Joaquin Delta College where he co-chairs the political science department. He is a member of the Empowering Positive Initiative for Change Learning Community and serves on the Cultural Awareness Program and Student Success and Equity Committee. He previously worked at American River and Folsom Lake colleges and serves on the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs.

The California Community Colleges is the largest system of higher education in the nation, composed of 73 districts and 116 colleges serving nearly 2 million students per year.

California community colleges provide career education and workforce training; guaranteed transfer to four-year universities; and degree and certificate pathways.

As the state’s engine for social and economic mobility, the California Community Colleges supports Vision 2030, a strategic plan designed to serve our students, our communities and our planet.