Los Rios Community College Board of Trustees appoints fourth Folsom Lake College president
The Los Rios Community College District Board of Trustees appointed Art Pimentel as the fourth president of Folsom Lake College at its Dec. 14 meeting, according to a FLC news release Wednesday.
Pimentel begins in the new position Jan. 9.
Pimentel has served as Woodland Community College’s president since July 2019, and during that time the college saw a 5% increase in student retention rates and a 9% increase in enrollment, according to the news release.
“My strength is really my educational background,” Pimentel said. “I feel that as a first-generation, son of migrant farm worker parents, financial aid recipient (and) English learner, I really reflect a lot of the students that we serve in the community college system, and I understand the needs and students that we serve.”
Pimentel said his parents are from Michoacán, Mexico. Pimentel was born in Woodland.
Pimentel served for six years as Woodland Community College’s director of TRIO programs. TRIO, not an acronym, is a set of federally-funded college opportunity programs that motivate and support students from disadvantaged backgrounds in their pursuit of a college degree, according to the Woodland Community College website.
“It really is about…serving the communities through higher education,” Pimentel said. “I truly believe that education is the great equalizer in our society.”
Pimental also served as mayor of Woodland from 2008 to 2012 and on its City Council from 2004 to 2008.
He said he served as the dean for Sacramento City College’s West Sacramento Center from 2014 to 2019 and for a shorter stint as the district’s director of educational services and student success. He was interim director, according to the FLC news release.
Pimentel replaces Whitney Yamamura, who left in August 2022 to pursue a promotional opportunity as chancellor of the Coast Community College District.
According to Brian King, the chancellor of the Los Rios Community College District, former FLC president Rachel Rosenthal came out of retirement in September to serve as interim president for the remainder of 2022. She previously served as Folsom Lake College’s second president from July 2012 to December 2016, according to an August news release announcing Yamamura’s departure.
King said Pimentel’s selection came after a nationwide search for the next FLC president.
“I think the fact that Art worked within the Los Rios Community College District gave him a wealth of experience about understanding how our colleges work,” King said. “His experience in Woodland was really advantageous in understanding the Sacramento region.”
Pimentel holds a doctorate in education from the University of California, Davis and a master’s in educational leadership from California State University, Sacramento, according to the news release.
This story was originally published December 27, 2022 at 12:19 PM.