APTOS- Following the death of Cabrillo College Trustee Manuel Bersamin, Cabrillo is now accepting applications for a provisional appointment to fill its Area V trustee vacancy.
At its Monday night meeting, the Board of Trustees approved the process to fill the vacancy by provisional appointment. The person selected will serve on the board until the next regular election in December 2026. Applicants must live in Trustee Area V in Watsonville. Applications are due to Ronnette Smithcamp, executive assistant to the superintendent/president, by Nov. 25.
The new provisionally appointed trustee will hit the ground running. By the time an appointee is selected, the college will be finishing up the process of selecting a new superintendent/president. Cabrillo recently announced that the four finalists will participate in a public forum on Nov. 12 before undergoing a final round of interviews with the Board of Trustees. The new Area V trustee will be onboarded just in time for the interviews, attending their first board meeting Dec. 1 and then going through training Dec. 2 for the interviews on Dec. 3 and 4.
Last week, Cabrillo announced the finalists for the president/superintendent position: Jenn Capps, provost and vice president of academic affairs at Cal Poly Humboldt; Travaris Harris, assistant superintendent and vice president of instruction at Cabrillo College; Tia Robinson-Cooper, former chancellor at Ivy Tech Community College in Indianapolis; and María Villagómez, assistant superintendent and vice president of student affairs and accreditation liaison officer at Santa Barbara City College. Matt Wetstein, the college’s current president and superintendent, announced his retirement in February, with plans to step down at end of year.
Applicants must reside and be registered to vote in Trustee Area V in Watsonville. Interested candidates can call the Santa Cruz County Elections Office at 831-454-2060 to confirm that their voter registration address qualifies them for the position, Cabrillo said in a statement. To apply, candidates must submit an application and a statement of interest to Smithcamp by noon Nov. 25.
Interested individuals can request applications from Smithcamp at [email protected] or can come to the superintendent/president’s office in person at Student Activities Center West, Room 204, Cabrillo College, 6500 Soquel Drive, Aptos. For information, call the Cabrillo superintendent/president’s office at 831-479-6302.
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