Kristina Whalen Appointed President of Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, California

The board of trustees of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District voted to appoint Kristina Whalen as the next president of Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, California. She will take office on March 31.

“I am honored and excited to be selected as president of Foothill College,” Dr. Whalen said. “I look forward to working with Foothill’s talented faculty, staff, students and community partners in the relentless pursuit of equitable outcomes for all students.”

Foothill College enrolls nearly 12,500 students according to the most recent data available from the U.S. Department of Education. Women make up 48 percent of the student body.

Dr. Whalen has been serving as vice president of academic services at Las Positas College in Livermore, California. She also serves in a statewide role as vice president of the California Community Colleges Chief Instructional Officers Association. From 2005 to 2019, Dr. Whalen worked at City College of San Francisco in the successively responsible positions of faculty member, director of forensics, department chair, student learning outcomes coordinator, dean, and associate vice chancellor of instruction, enrollment management, and instructional support services.  Early in her career, she was an assistant professor at California State University, Chico.

Dr. Whalen holds a bachelor’s degree in socio-political communication from Missouri State University. She earned a master’s degree in rhetoric and public address and a doctoral degree in speech communication from Florida State University.