MPC offers training for possible Board of Trustees candidates interested in four open seats.

The Monterey Peninsula College District has undergone some big changes in recent years and it’s headed for more in the November 3 election.

Four seats on the Board of Trustees are up for grabs—which means the entire composition of the board could drastically change since three seats are currently filled by trustees who have held the positions for nine to 17 years. The district is currently seeking to educate potential candidates on what it takes to lead as trustees.

A big board change took place in the November 2018 election, when two women took over seats in Trustee Area 1—mostly covering Seaside—and Area 2—mostly covering Marina. Former Area 1 trustee Charles Brown didn’t run for reelection and candidate Natalia Molina won the seat, possibly the first Latina to serve on the board. Yuri Anderson won over longtime incumbent Margaret-Anne Coppernoll, bringing another woman of color to a mostly white board that represented a diverse student population.

Less than a year later, Molina resigned after she took a job in Arizona. She was replaced by MPC graduate and Seaside volunteer Rosalyn Green to serve until the 2020 election. Another big step for the board came last December when Anderson took over as chair of the board from another longtime board member Marilynn Dunn Gustafson.

Beside’s Green’s seat, the three other seats on the ballot are currently filled by members who have been on the board for many years. Trustee Area 3, Monterey and Del Rey Oaks, has been represented by Rick Johnson since 2011. Likewise, Marilynn Dunn Gustafson has been in her seat since 2011 representing Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach. Trustee Area 5 covering Carmel, Carmel Valley and Monterey south of Highway 68, has been represented by the same trustee since 2003, Loren Steck.

A virtual orientation is being offered at 5:30pm, tomorrow, July 15, led by Interim Superintendent/President David Martin. He’ll provide a presentation about the district and the role and responsibilities of the board, as well as take questions from prospective candidates. More information is available on the MPC 2020 Trustee Elections webpage. The candidate filing period ends on Aug. 7.

Trustees elected in November will likely play a pivotal role in choosing a new superintendent/president, one of the biggest changes coming for the college. Martin has been filling in since Walt Tribley left the position in 2019.