La Jollan named acting president of Mesa College

La Jolla resident Barbara Kavalier has been named acting president of San Diego Mesa College.

Kavalier has served as vice president of student services at Mesa College since January 2008. She will serve until an interim president is chosen. She fills the void left by Dr. Rita M. Cepeda, who leaves Mesa to become the sixth permanent chancellor of the San Jose/Evergreen Community College District on July 15.

Before assuming the vice presidency at Mesa College, Dr. Kavalier served as the associate vice president of student services at Tacoma Community College in Tacoma, Wash., where she was responsible for providing vision and strategic direction to student support and auxiliary services. Prior to that, she served for more than 15 years as an administrator with the Dallas County Community College District.

Kavalier received her doctorate from The University of Texas at Austin; she is the author of two books: “The Entrepreneurial Community College” and “The Hiring Game: Reshaping Community College Practices,” and currently serves as an adjunct faculty member for the doctorate degree program in Educational Leadership at San Diego State University.

The search for a permanent president for Mesa College will begin this fall, with the goal of selecting a new leader who can take office on or shortly after the start of the next year, which begins on July 1, 2011.

Kavalier resides in La Jolla with her husband, Jim.