Chancellor

With much gratitude and excitement, I begin my role as Chancellor of the Yuba Community College District (YCCD). I am grateful to the Board of Trustees, faculty and staff, and community partners for making YCCD such a recognized institution of higher education, fully dedicated to student success, and to community and economic development. I am excited about the upcoming opportunities for getting out to our two colleges, educational centers, and communities to meet students, faculty, staff, and community stakeholders.

For over 96 years, YCCD has been a powerful force for education and training for diverse communities across eight counties and nearly 4,200 square miles of territory in rural, north-central California. Its two colleges, Yuba College and Woodland Community College, offer degrees, certificates and transfer curricula at college campuses in Marysville and Woodland, educational centers in Clearlake and Yuba City, and through outreach operations in Williams and on Beale Air Force Base.

YCCD’s talented faculty works hard at enabling student learning and skill development; the dedicated student support and administrative staffers go the extra mile in providing quality and responsive student support services. The District prides itself for providing every student an affordable, flexible, and quality educational path for achieving their academic, career, and self-enrichment goals.

YCCD’s curricula and educational programs will continue to shift in order to respond to changing community needs; we will, however, remain true to our mission and purpose-namely, achieving educational equity, disrupting poverty, and driving economic and social mobility. I look forward to joining you, our students, faculty, staff, and community partners, in fulfilling that promise.

Dr. Pan comes to YCCD from Washington State, where he served as chancellor of the Seattle Community Colleges. Over the last six years in this role, Dr. Pan led the integration of Human Resource, IT, Web services, International Education, eLearning, and corporate training and initiated the Seattle Promise program that is recognized locally and nationally as a model of equitable student success. Under his leadership, the Seattle Colleges Foundation raised a record amount of funds in support of students and Equity Diversity and Inclusion priorities. In concert with community and corporate partners, the Seattle Community Colleges initiated five non-credit micro-pathway programs, new associate degrees in Fire Sciences, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science.

Before leading the Seattle Community Colleges as chancellor, Dr. Pan served as president of Mesa Community College in Mesa, Arizona. His other executive roles have included: provost of Broward College-South Campus, executive dean of Instruction and Student Services at Florida State College at Jacksonville, dean of Student Life at Community College of Philadelphia, and assistant professor of Educational Psychology, and Recruitment and Retention Administrator at Northern Arizona University.

Dr. Pan centers his leadership and management practices on fulfilling the community college mission and promoting student and community success. He places emphasis on working with the Board of Trustees, institutional and community stakeholders in formulating a common vision and building consensus on strategic and operational decisions. His professional success is evidenced in his strong track record of improving student success; building collaborative partnerships with educational institutions, businesses, and civic organizations to further institutional goals and community economic development; and securing external resources.

He has also been actively engaged in higher education at local, state, and national levels, including membership in the American Association of Community Colleges, and Association of Community College Trustees. In addition, he has served on the boards of the National Asian Pacific Islander Council, Campus Compact, Chair Academy, and Economic Development Council of Seattle and King County. He received several honors and awards, including the Award by the League for Innovation in the Community College, Shirley B. Gordon Award of Distinction by the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society, and Veora E. Johnson Spirit of Unity MLK Award by the Mesa MLK Jr. Celebration Committee.

Born and raised in Mainland China, Dr. Pan immigrated to the United States in 1985. He earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education from Iowa State University, a Master of Education in College Student Personnel from Colorado State University, and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Hefei Polytechnic University, RP China.