The State Center Community College District Board of Trustees has named the first non-Caucasian and the second woman, as chancellor in the history of the district.

The board voted unanimously on April 24 to appoint Dr. Deborah Blue as the district’s eighth chancellor. She will replace Dr. Thomas A. Crow, who will retire June 30.

Blue is a former associate dean at FCC, where she headed the humanities department from 1991-94.

“As a person of color, I lead with honesty and integrity to have a successful experience,” said Blue, who is African-American. “If I don’t have a successful experience, it will be difficult for another person of color to follow.”

Blue said the creation of the humanities division council was one of her top accomplishments during her three years as dean.

“We came together with leaders and faculty to solve problems,” she said. “It changed the culture of the division. It made it open.”

Blue said the council helped members in the division’s different departments get together to collaborate on budget issues and set division goals that worked towards the college’s strategic plan.

Michael Roberts, the current dean of humanities, was an English instructor when Blue was the associate dean of the department.

Roberts said that Blue “created a very positive working relationship.”

During her time as an associate dean at Fresno City College, Blue said she learned much from the faculty. “I learned how to support student learning even though I was in an administrator position,” she said, “through student programs like Puente and Phi Theta Kappa.”

Blue said she would stress the importance of teamwork and openness as she takes on her new role.

“It is very important to me to support the presidents and vice chancellors,” she said. “They are very competent leaders, and it is important that I support them. There is nothing I will be able to accomplish without them.”

 Blue’s SCCCD predecessor, Dr. Crow, said *****

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The board’s announcement of Blue as the new chancellor came four weeks after announcing three finalists: Blue, Dr. Benjamin Duran and Dr. Adriana Barrera. The finalists then had an opportunity to present themselves at open forums held at both Fresno City College and Reedley College­.

Duran is the currently superintendent and president of the Merced Community College District. Barrera is currently the deputy chancellor for the Los Angeles Community College District.

Blue currently holds the position of vice chancellor at Contra Costa Community College District in Martinez, Calif. Prior to working in Contra Costa, according to SCCCD officials, she served as vice president for policy and research for the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, Western Association of Schools and Colleges, and president of Laney College in Oakland, Calif.

Blue holds a bachelor’s degree is speech pathology and audiology, with a minor in elementary education, from Western Michigan University. She also holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. in speech and hearing science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

She said Fresno City College reminded her of her school time in Illinois. “The library and other buildings look similar to my alma mater,” she said.

“It’s like being home again.”