The search for an Interim Vice President of Instruction concluded with the appointing of Nancy Ybarra. Ybarra began her new role in early January and will continue until June of this year. 

Ybarra has served the Los Medanos College community for 38 and a half years. She formed part of the English Department for 32 years, and the previous 6 and a half years as the dean of Liberal Arts. She took the role of Interim VPI as a form of closure for her time serving the LMC community. 

“I felt ready to take on new challenges and hopefully contribute something of value based on all those years of experience before I retire in June of this year,” said Ybarra. 

Given her experience as a faculty member and dean of Liberal Arts, Ybarra decided to apply for the position because she knew that she would be able to perform well without a lot of training and orientation. 

“I was already involved as a dean in many of our ongoing initiatives including Strategic Enrollment Management, Guided Pathways, Student Equity and Achievement, Accreditation, and General Education. I am able to continue my involvement and work on all of these in my new role,” she said. 

As dean of Liberal Arts Ybarra worked closely with department chairs. Her new role allows her to work with deans to avoid any confusion when planning for current and future semesters.

“The VPI supports the deans and department chairs by clarifying college policies, practices and procedures that guide all these activities, and facilitating discussions that invite innovative ideas about how to improve this work to better serve students and our community,” said Ybarra. 

Ybarra admits that the first few weeks in the interim VPI position allowed her to adapt and be able to transition before the start of the spring semester. During the time as Interim VPI, she hopes to help “develop Strategic Enrollment Management and Guided Pathways,” two plans that aim to make higher education at LMC more accessible for students from enrollment until each student reaches their desired career or educational goal. 

“Everything we do needs to support that goal, and to do so while providing students with a positive experience that demonstrates our commitment to equity and inclusion. We want all of our students to succeed and to enjoy the journey to success,” said Ybarra. 

There is one thing Ybarra wants the LMC community to know about her and that is the idea of the power of collaboration and the inclusion of diverse perspectives to meet the mission of the college.

“We need people who think differently, and approach issues with varying perspectives. This can lead to conflict at times because we don’t always agree, but if we keep in mind our common purpose and cultivate respect and caring for each other as well as our students, we can achieve great things that none of us could possibly do alone,” said Ybarra.