FRESNO, Calif. — The chancellor of the State Center Community College District, Carole Goldsmith, announced Thursday that she will retire next September.
Goldsmith has served as the chancellor of the four-college district since 2022. The district is home to more than 50,000 students across Fresno City College, Reedley College, Clovis Community College and Madera Community College.
Goldsmith said despite momentum for the district, she felt it was time to step aside.
“The District is thriving,” Goldsmith said in a statement. “Our enrollment is strong, our finances are solid, and student success has reached new heights.”
Goldsmith ends a 30 year career in education. Prior to serving as chancellor, she was the president of Fresno City College and held leadership roles in the West Hill Community College district.Goldsmith started her career teaching in K-12 and later adult school and secondary college.
Goldsmith said in her announcement she will continue to work on initiatives such as affordable student housing in the remaining months.
Sonya Christian, the president of California Community Colleges, who previously served for the Kern Community College District, praised Goldsmith for her work with students.
“She leads with a student-first lens, and it shows in the way she focuses on access and success for all students,” Christian said. “Decades of service in our system say everything about her commitment to students and communities.”
District highlights achievements under Goldsmith
District officials praised achievements under Goldsmith.
They highlighted increases in enrollment and college access for high school students and touted the creation of more than 22,000 jobs in the region and more than $1 billion in economic impact.
“California needs every tool available to meet student and workforce demand, and under Chancellor Goldsmith’s leadership, State Center Community College District has become exactly that: a place where students facing geographic, financial, or academic barriers can find a home, an opportunity, and a path forward,” Stewart Knox, Secretary of the California Labor & Workforce Development Agency, said.
