Forum: April 9, 1:30-3 p.m.
Dr. Jeffrey N. Lamb
Dr. Jeffrey N. Lamb is a seasoned California community college leader, educator, and scholar with more than two decades of experience advancing student success, academic quality, and institutional effectiveness. He began his career as a faculty member and has maintained a strong connection to teaching and learning throughout his leadership journey. He served as a Spanish professor at Solano Community College and previously taught at two-year and four-year, public and private higher education institutions in and out of California. His experience as an Academic Senate President and faculty leader continues to inform his commitment to shared governance and collaborative decision-making.
He currently serves as Vice President of Academic Affairs at Santa Ana College, where he provides executive leadership for all instructional programs and services, including academic and career education, dual enrollment, online education, curriculum, enrollment management, accreditation, and institutional planning. In this role, he works closely with faculty, staff, and district leadership to align academic programs with student success goals, workforce needs, and community partnerships.
During his tenure at Santa Ana College, Dr. Lamb has helped guide significant institutional progress, including sustained enrollment growth and the expansion of innovative academic programs. Through collaborative planning across instruction and student services, the college has grown by more than 3,100 FTES (approximately 24%) over four years, while maintaining a strong commitment to academic quality and equitable student outcomes. He also serves as Accreditation Liaison Officer, providing leadership for institutional self-evaluation, compliance, continuous improvement, and college-wide planning.
Prior to joining Santa Ana College, Dr. Lamb served as Vice President of Instruction at Merritt College, where he led instructional operations, curriculum, enrollment management, and program development in a multi-college district environment. Earlier in his career, he served as Dean of English and Foreign Languages at City College of San Francisco, Dean of Academic Success and Learning Resources as well as Interim Dean of the School of Liberal Arts at Solano Community College. These leadership roles provided him with broad experience overseeing academic divisions, learning resources, distance education, outcomes assessment, and student success initiatives.
A recognized leader in the California Community College system, Dr. Lamb is active in statewide professional organizations and initiatives. He currently serves as Region 8 Chair on the Executive Board of the California Community College Chief Instructional Officers, was recently elected as President Elect of this organization, and has contributed to statewide policy and program development through service on the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office Modern Policing Degree Task Force and other system-wide working groups. He has also served as a mentor, presenter, and visiting accreditation team member for the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges.
Dr. Lamb holds a Ph.D. in Contemporary Latin American Literature from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a focus on Chicano and border literature. He also earned a Master’s degree in Spanish Language and Literature from San Diego State University and a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish from California State University, Long Beach, with additional international study in Mexico and Spain.
Throughout his career, Dr. Lamb has remained committed to the mission of community colleges as engines of access, opportunity, and social mobility. His leadership approach emphasizes collaboration, equity-minded institutional practices, and strategic planning that advances student success while strengthening partnerships with the communities colleges serve.