Meet Torence Powell, new chancellor of Los Rios Community College District
Six months after he nearly dropped out of high school, a beloved counselor “bullied” Torence Powell into enrolling in a writing class at Cosumnes River College in the summer of 1997. He got his first A in a long time in that class and went on to study there for about two years before transferring to the California State University system.
Three decades later, Powell, 45, is back at the Cosumnes campus — now as the new chancellor of the four-college Los Rios Community College District in Sacramento. On July 1, Powell began his term as the chief of the second-largest community college district in California. He replaced Brian King, who retired after more than 13 years of helming the district that serves more than 96,000 students.
“It’s really a full circle moment for me,” Powell said. “It’s humbling and extraordinarily exciting because, for anyone who knows anything about my personal history, Los Rios Community College District has been so seminal in my personal growth and development, not just as a professional and a student but as a human being.”
The chancellor, as the leader of a district, supervises college presidents, vice chancellors and other district administrators. The chancellor guides the organization’s vision and supports effective functioning of the colleges. The role also entails liaising with the governing board, ensuring financial stability and working towards a strategic plan.
Following a nationwide search, Powell was appointed unanimously by the Los Rios Board of Trustees at a meeting in January. With an initial term of three years, his annual salary has been set at $375,000 with funded cost-of-living adjustments for the 2027-28 and 2028-29 fiscal years capped at 5% per year.
Powell’s journey
Cosumnes River College, Powell said, was a turning point in his life. The college, he said, helped him to course-correct and believe in himself at a time when he had been skipping high school classes and not focusing on academics. At the college, he got involved in the student newspaper, The Connection, and spent many late nights fixing layouts and getting the paper print-ready at the office on the top floor of the library building.
A Sacramento native, he got his bachelor’s degree at Cal State LA and went on to work in the Office of Diversity Affairs at the University of Redlands for four years. After a brief segue into the world of urban design and planning to study inequities in the built environment, he returned to higher education when a job opened up at Cosumnes River College. That job, which he said felt to him like it was written just for him, required him to lead an initiative to create programs that prepared students for jobs in solar technology, energy-efficient building design and biofuels. He worked at the college for nearly a decade and was then hired in a leadership position at the Los Rios District office.
In 2022, he moved to Napa Valley College to serve as the superintendent there for four years. In his time leading the small district, one of the achievements he is proudest of is moving the Basic Needs Center out of a dark basement and into one of the newest buildings on campus where it is accessible and prominent. Powell serves on a statewide taskforce established by the Chief Executive Officers of the California Community Colleges to provide recommendations to address housing and food insecurities faced by students, and will continue to do so, he said.
“So many of our students are in need,” Powell said. “And individuals who exist on the margins in society are even more insecure when it comes to food access, transportation and housing security. We’ve to do the work to ensure our students are equipped with the basics of human survival. In order for our students to perform well in the classroom, they need these basic resources.”
Vision for Los Rios
Now, at Los Rios, his priorities include securing basic needs for historically disadvantaged populations and navigating the rise of artificial intelligence. The goal, he said, is to remain on the cutting edge of emerging career pathways so students are prepared to join the workforce. He is also looking to enhance dual enrollment opportunities for high school students.
Apart from that, Powell wants students to know he is approachable, invested in their success and at their service.
“Sometimes people look at the title and they can put some distance between themselves and the executive,” he said. “But that’s not me. I grew up down the street and had the privilege of taking classes with faculty who still teach here. I want students to know that if they see me walking around campus or in the community, they should come up, say hello and we can talk about how the (Sacramento) Kings are doing or whether the A’s will keep a streak going.”
For him, working in higher education — especially at the community college level — is gratifying because, if done well, it can provide opportunities for people to attain self-sufficiency, financial independence and growth. Higher education, he said, is a “passport to possibilities.” Outside of work, Powell is a big sports fan, an avid reader and a “family guy,” he said.
Powell’s first Los Rios board meeting as chancellor is on Wednesday. At that meeting, the board will likely vote on whether to place a bond on the November ballot to raise funds for facilities upgrades. In a recent assessment, the district staff identified approximately $3.1 billion in campus needs. The November election will also see three of seven trustee positions up for election, marking a period of transition for the district.
