The board of trustees of the Kern Community College District in Bakersfield, California, has chosen Sonya Christian as its next chancellor.
The Kern Community College District is geographically one of the largest community college districts in the United States, serving more than 30,000 students. It includes Bakersfield College, Cerro Coso College, and Porterville College.
Sonya Christian has been president of Bakersfield College since 2013. During her tenure as president. The budget of the college increased from $80 million to more than $180 million. Enrollments increased by almost 60 percent, and degree completion rates rose by more than 330 percent.
Before she became president of Bakersfield College, Dr. Christian served in a variety of senior administrative roles at Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon, including executive vice president and chief academic officer and vice president for academic and student affairs. Earlier in her career, she taught mathematics at Bakersfield College.
Dr. Christian holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Kerala in Thiruvananthapuram, India. She earned a master’s degree in applied mathematics from the University of Southern California, and a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of California, Los Angeles.