The Delta College Board of Trustees recently approved a request by Superintendent/President Dr. Omid Pourzanjani that he be placed on leave of absence for the remainder of his contract, which ends in June 2022.

The Board also accepted his resignation effective June 30, 2022. Both decisions were unanimous.

Assistant Superintendent/Vice President of Instruction Dr. Lisa Aguilera Lawrenson will immediately take on the duties of acting superintendent/president.

“The District thanks Dr. Pourzanjani for his service to Delta College and its students, and wishes him well in his future endeavors,” Board President Dr. Charles Jennings said, adding that the Board determined that the decision was in the best interest of both the College and of Dr. Pourzanjani.

“This is a very difficult decision to make, but I believe it is the right decision,” Dr. Pourzanjani said.

“Serving as superintendent/president at Delta College has been an amazing privilege for me,” he continued. “Our employees’ resilience in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, in particular, has been absolutely inspiring. From the sudden shift to online learning, to the slow and difficult climb out of the pandemic, our faculty and staff have demonstrated courage and steadfast dedication to serving our students. They are thankful, and so am I.”

As this is a personnel matter, further details are unavailable.

An immigrant and first-generation college student, Dr. Pourzanjani has served students for over 37 years at various higher education institutions in California, as both a faculty member and an administrator. He was hired as Delta’s 11th superintendent/president in August 2019.

Dr. Lisa Aguilera Lawrenson has 28 years of experience as a community college professor, administrator, and social justice educator/trainer in California and Washington. She has expertise in culturally relevant curriculum design, social justice strategic planning, and mentoring. Her dissertation focused on the experiences of Hispanic students in developmental English in community colleges.

She served as a tenured English professor at South Puget Sound Community College, and was an executive administrator at American River College and Cosumnes River College before coming to Delta College in 2020. She has led initiatives in basic skills/curriculum, equity, international education, strategic planning, college redesign, and governance.