Hello and Goodbye

We bid farewell to some of our administrators as they retire and welcome others to West Hills!

Hello

Jason SmithJason Smith- Head Baseball Coach - West Hills College Coalinga

West Hills College Coalinga hired Jason Smith as its new head baseball coach in December 2017. He is also teaching classes in physical education, athletics and sports psychology. Prior to joining WHCC, Smith was the associate head baseball coach at Fullerton College, where he also served as interim head coach last season. In 2016, he helped the team reach the CCCAA Super Regionals.

Val GarciaVal Garcia- Vice President of Student Services- West Hills College Lemoore

Val Garcia serves as West Hills College Lemoore’s Vice President of Student Services. Previously, he had served at Porterville College as their Vice President of Student Services and Dean of Academic Affairs. He has been working in higher education since 2001 in teaching and administration.

Omar GutierrezOmar Gutierrez – Director of Fiscal Services – District Office

Omar Gutierrez is the District’s Director of Fiscal Services. He came to us from Fresno Unified School District, where he served as a financial analyst. He had also previously worked for the City of Tulare and College of the Sequoias. He came on board this May, bringing nearly 20 years of accounting and financial experience to the role.

Shaun VetterShaun Vetter – Director of ITS – District Office

Shaun Vetter is now serving the district as the Director of Information Technology Services. He came to the position with over 15 years of experience with the technology field. He previously worked as the Applications and Web Development Lead for Ohlone College and as their Interim Director of Information Systems. He had also worked as an adjunct faculty member at Ohlone. He joined the District team in April.

Brian BoomerBrian Boomer – Dean of Career & Technical Education – WHC Coalinga

Brian Boomer has been with the District since 2008 and was previously the WHCCD’s Coordinator of Special Grants, a role in which he oversaw initiatives related to career advancement, curriculum and grant writing and implementation. He has also served as an adjunct faculty member and in other roles throughout his time at WHCCD. As of June 1, he became West Hills College Coalinga’s new Dean of Career and Technical Education, where he guides and implements CTE initiatives.

brooke boedingBrooke Boeding-Associate Dean of Categorical Programs- West Hills College Lemoore

Brooke Boeding serves as the Associate Dean of Categorical Programs at West Hills College Lemoore. Boeding previously worked for Gavilan College as the Associate Dean of their Accessible Education Center and Veterans Resource Center. She had also previously served as a counselor for their disability resource center and WorkAbility III program. She has working knowledge of many different programs including disabled student services, veterans services, Title V and EOPS/Care.

elmer aguilarElmer Aguilar- Dean of Student Services- West Hills College Lemoore

Elmer Aguilar comes to West Hills from Porterville College, where he served as the Student Success and Support Program/Student Equity Program Manager. There, he helped develop policies and processes. He has also previously served as an Educational Advisor at Porterville College and as an Outreach Counselor at California State University, Fresno in addition to other student services leadership roles at UCLA, USC, Cal State LA, and East Los Angeles College. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Master of Business Administration from California State University, Fresno.

Kelly WigtonKelly Wigton- Volleyball Coach- West Hills College Lemoore

Kelly Wigton, WHCL’s first ever Women’s Volleyball Coach, has a breadth of experience both as a volleyball player and in leadership roles. Wigton has previously worked as a Beachbody Coach and high school volleyball coach. She has been playing volleyball since the age of 11 and has played competitively for Humboldt State, Vanguard University, Santa Rosa Junior College, and on high school and club teams. She holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Kinesiology from California State University of Bakersfield.

Donnye RossDonnye Ross-Men’s Basketball Coach- West Hills College Lemoore

Donnye Ross is the inaugural Men’s Basketball Coach at West Hills College Lemoore. He comes to WHCL after serving as the Head Women’s Basketball Coach, Assistant Athletic Director and Physical Education and Psychology instructor at Imperial Valley College. He has also served as a coach or athletic administrator at Solano Community College, Cosumnes River College, Richmond High School and Sacramento High School. His coaching experience stretches back to 2000. He holds an MS in Sports Management from Nova Southeastern University and is in the process of earning his Psy.D Doctor of Psychology degree with a specialization in Sports and Performance Psychology from University of the Rockies.

Javier CazaresJavier Cazares- Dean of Student Services- West Hills College Coalinga

Javier Cazares is the Dean of Student Services at West Hills College Coalinga. Cazares has been with West Hills Community College District since 2006 and has served as an education coordinator, adjunct instructor, and coordinator of special grants. Prior to coming to West Hills, he was a member of the US Navy and Navy Reserves, from 1998 to 2006. He has eleven years of administrative and management experience.

Terry BraseTerry Brase- Farm of the Future Director- West Hills College Coalinga

Terry Brase is the Director of the West Hills College Coalinga Farm of the Future. He has also served as the interim Farm Director and as a precision agriculture instructor at the farm. Brase—a leader in the field of precision agriculture— has over 20 years of teaching experience and developing precision agriculture programs. Brase has taught and developed precision agriculture programs across the country. He developed the first two year program focused on precision ag in the nation in 1995 at Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo, Iowa. He also developed an Ag Geospatial Technology two year degree at Kirkwood Community College. He has served as a mentor for colleges across the country, written a textbook on precision agriculture, has written an online course for ESRI, and assisted with the US Department of Education Career Clusters initiative. He is also an educational consultant through his company, Brase LLC.

Zack SotoZachary Soto- Director of MESA- West Hills College Coalinga

Zachary Soto is the Director of MESA, Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement program. Soto has been with West Hills College Coalinga since 2009 and has worked as an adjunct instructor, project coordinator, and Director of CCPT2/Student Equity Coordinator. He has years of experience in grants coordination and special programs. He also has experience with agriculture and instruction.

Cecilio MoraCecilio Mora- Director of Special Grants- West Hills Community College District

Cecilio Mora is a Director of Special Grants for the West Hills Community College District. More has worked for West Hills since 2000 as Coordinator of Special Grants for WHCC’s Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act efforts, Adult Education Block Grant and as an employment readiness specialist and case manager. He has also served as adjunct faculty and as an English as a Second Language instructor.

nestor lomeliNestor Lomeli- Director of Admissions and Records/Registrar- West Hills College Lemoore

Nestor Lomeli is the Director of Admissions and Records/Registrar at West Hills College Lemoore. Lomeli previously served as the West Hills College Lemoore Upward Bound Director and Reedley College’s Upward Bound Assistant Director. Before that, he served as an after school program assistant coordinator in Fresno.

amy longAmy Long- Director of Title IV- West Hills College Coalinga

Amy Long is West Hills College Coalinga’s Director of Title IV. She has been with West Hills College Coalinga since 2010 and has previously served as an adjunct instructor, counselor, and employment readiness specialist. She has also worked as a substitute teacher at local K-12 schools and as a learning disability evaluator and has a long history of volunteerism.

Adedokun Adedokun Olanrewaju- Basketball Coach- West Hills College Coalinga

After serving as assistant coach, Adedokun Olanrewaju is stepping into the role of Head Men’s Basketball coach at WHCC. Olanrewaju spent the 2017-18 season assisting his mentor and former head coach Mark Arce, who recently retired after 17 seasons at the helm of the WHCC program and 34 years overall. As a top assistant, Olanrewaju helped guide the Falcons to a 19-8 record and a second-round CCCAA postseason appearance. The team was ranked as high as No. 5 in the state. His responsibilities included recruiting, player development, game and practice planning, fundraising, and academic study hall. Olanrewaju works as an adjunct Physical Education instructor at WHCC, and will now oversee the Athletics basketball courses as well. He teaches English and History on a full-time basis at Coalinga Middle School. He has also previously worked as a head coach for Coalinga High School.

Goodbye

anita bartAnita Bart- Administration of Justice instructor- West Hills College Coalinga

Anita Bart retired this May after nearly 20 years of service as an Administration of Justice instructor at West Hills College Coalinga. She had served as an instructor since 2001 and had previously served as a deputy sheriff with the Coos County Oregon Sheriff’s Office, where she earned the Medal of Valor. She had also previously served as an adjunct instructor for Southwester Oregon Community College.

ken stoppenbrinkKen Stoppenbrink- Deputy Chancellor- West Hills Community College District

Deputy Chancellor Ken Stoppenbrink will retire from the WHCCD in January 2019.

Stoppenbrink has served the West Hills Community College District in a variety of positions since 1996. He served as the HR director until 2004 when he was promoted to the Vice Chancellor of Business Services. On July 1, 2013 Stoppenbrink was promoted to the Deputy Chancellor of the WHCCD. Prior to coming to West Hills, Stoppenbrink worked in healthcare human resources. During his career he has been responsible for a number of areas such as risk management; health care administration; contract negotiations; construction project oversight; bond campaigns and strategic planning for all fiscal affairs of the district.

maria cavazosMaria Cavazos- Grants Development Specialist- West Hills Community College District

Maria Cavazos has retired after almost 20 years of service to the West Hills Community College District. Cavazos has been working in the grants department at WHCCD since 1999, when she came on board as a Program Development Assistant. She transitioned to a role as a Grants Development Specialist in 2013 and has overseen the securing and coordination of many important grants. Prior to coming to West Hills, she worked for State Center Community College District.

tammy weathermanTammy Weatherman- Associate Vice Chancellor of Business Services

Tammy Weatherman retired in August from her role as WHCCD’s Associate Vice Chancellor of Business Services. Weatherman has been with the district since 1989, previously serving as Director of Accounting and Director of Fiscal Services. She had served as Associate Vice Chancellor since 2013 and oversaw business and accounting procedures at WHCCD.