Chancellor's Cabinet

	Dr. Jannett N. Jackson Interim Chancellor Dr. Jannett Jackson was named Interim Chancellor of the Peralta Community College District, effective April 16, 2021. She has previously served as the chancellor of the Chabot-Las Positas Community College District and president at College of Alameda. Dr. Jackson graduated from California State University, Fresno with bachelor's and master’s degrees; and received her doctorate from The University of Texas at Austin’s prestigious Community College Leadership Program. Dr. Jackson is also a retired colonel having served in the US Air Force & the California Army National Guard for a total of 32 years.
	Dr. Angélica Garcia President, Berkeley City College Dr. Angélica Garcia is an educational leader with a demonstrated commitment to improving access, equity, and student success in higher education. A Leadership Fellow of the National Community College Hispanic Council, Dr. Garcia earned a doctorate in Educational Leadership at San Francisco State University, a Master’s in Social Work at San Diego State University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal and Civic Studies at Saint Mary’s College of California. During her tenure as Vice President of Student Services at Skyline College, Dr. Garcia’s leadership and collaboration led to the design and implementation of the Promise Scholars Program, a program focused on increasing two- and three-year graduation rates.
	Dr. Diana Bajrami Acting President, College of Alameda Dr. Bajrami has been a member of the Peralta family since 2001 in various faculty, participatory governance leadership, and administrative roles ranging from full-time Economics faculty to Interim Vice President of Student Services at Berkeley City College, to her current position as Vice President of Instruction at COA. She is an experienced educator and leader who has spent nearly thirty years working to ensure high-quality instruction and equitable student success at both two-year and four-year colleges in the United States and abroad. Diana is also a proven leader in the development and assessment of measurable student learning outcomes in both student and academic services and has extensive experience in program review, accreditation, organizational management, fiscal stewardship, grant writing, enrollment management, evaluation, and professional development.
	Dr. Rudy Besikof President, Laney Colleges Dr. Rudy Besikof has been in the role of President since July 2020 after first joining Laney as its Vice President of Instruction in June 2018. He has been an administrator since 2011 and holds a Doctor of Education Degree in Educational Leadership, which he earned in 2010 after being co-awarded the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies Outstanding Dissertation Award. He is now into his fourth decade as an educator, having taught English, English as a Second Language, Education, and Educational Leadership courses in California, Colorado, Japan, and France.
	Dr. David M. Johnson President, Merritt College Dr. David M. Johnson was raised in Oakland and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communications from U.C. Berkeley, a Master’s Degree in Communications from the University of Washington, and a Doctorate in History from U.C. Berkeley. Dr. Johnson came to Merritt College as the Vice President of Instruction in 2019 and was named President the following year. Dr. Johnson brings a decade of administrative leadership in education—leadership informed by lessons learned during his fifteen years as a teacher in the classroom.
	Dr. Stephanie Droker Interim Deputy Chancellor and Chief Operating Officer Dr. Stephanie Droker joined PCCD in January 2022. Previously, Dr. Droker served as the President/Chief Executive Officer of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC). She joined the ACCJC staff in August 2016 and served as Vice President for Policy and Research, and then as Senior Vice President as well as President/CEO. Before joining ACCJC, Dr. Droker held senior-level college administration and faculty positions within the California Community College system, including Academic Senate President. In January 2019, Dr. Droker was appointed by the board of the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) as a member of their committee on recognition. Dr. Droker holds a Doctorate of Education from California State University, Fresno, and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from California State University, Dominguez Hills.
	Dr. Nathaniel Jones Acting Vice Chancellor of Finance & Administration Dr. Jones has more than 15 years of experience as a Chief Financial Officer and direct experience helping institutions adopt new funding and budgeting models as an administrator and consultant. In addition to his doctorate in health policy, he has an MBA, taught courses on Health Care Financing, and Economics, and co-authored a book chapter discussing the use of incentives to influence professionalism in health care and education. Dr. Jones was previously President of College of Alameda.
	Dr. Ronald McKinley Interim Vice Chancellor of Human Resources and Employee Relations Dr. McKinley has been with Peralta since December 2020. He has over 25 years of experience as a Chief Human Resources Officer and more than 35 years of experience in human resources management. He has been Chief Human Resources Officer at organizations such as The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Texas Children’s Hospital, The Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, and APAC Teleservices. Dr. McKinley has a Ph.D. in Administration and Management, an MBA with a concentration in Human Resources Management, and a BS in Management. He is also a former Marine and Vietnam Veteran.
	Atheria Smith Interim Vice Chancellor of General Services Atheria Smith combines 20+ years of experience with facilities planning in multi-campus and large urban school districts with her specialized education to ensure effective functioning of the Department of General Services (DGS). Previously she oversaw Facilities Maintenance & Operations and Capital Outlay Planning & Construction initiatives. Prior to returning home to the Bay Area, Atheria Smith directed New York residential construction for many recognizable names including Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith, Pat Kennedy Lawford, Arthur and Alexandra Schlesinger, Peter Norton, and Andre Harrell. VC Smith earned a Master of Business Administration from Argosy University, San Francisco; a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Design & Architecture from the University of California at Berkeley; and studied Industrial Design at Parsons School of Design in New York. In her spare time she enjoys traveling and jewelry design.
	Antoine Mehouelley Chief Technology and Information Systems Officer Antoine Mehouelley was promoted to Chief Technology and Information Systems Officer in March 2021. Mr. Mehouelley has been an employee at PCCD since 2002 when he started as an instructional assistant at Laney College. He is a District success story in the way he has advanced his career from classified professional to District administrator, most recently serving as the Director of Technology Services at the District from 2016 to 2021.
	Timothy Thomas Director of Public Safety Mr. Timothy Thomas joined the District in November 2021 in the newly created role of Director of Public Safety. Mr. Thomas has extensive experience as both a law enforcement officer and a college educator. Thomas brings twenty years of law enforcement experience to the job, including service as a police officer and private security manager. He has served as Criminal Justice adjunct faculty at Institute of Technology – Modesto and faculty at Carrington College’s Stockton campus where he directed the Criminal Justice: Corrections program. He also has a deep understanding of California Community Colleges, having attended Chabot College before completing his B.A. in Criminal Justice at California State University – Stanislaus and his master’s degree in criminology from American Public University.
	Mark Johnson Executive Director, Marketing, Communication & Public Relations Mark Johnson has over twenty years of marketing leadership experience with a focus on education and scholarly communication. Mark’s higher education experience includes eight years at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., the last three years leading the Publisher Relations department of HighWire Press, an auxiliary business unit of the Stanford University Libraries. Johnson served as Vice President, Publisher Relations, at HighWire Press, Inc., after Stanford University sold the business to private equity investors. Johnson has served as Director of Marketing at Public Library of Science (PLOS), a non-profit in San Francisco, and Director of Marketing at Cell Press, an imprint of Elsevier, based in Cambridge, MA.