Superintendent President

Opening Addresses and Schedule

Date: Tuesday, September 22, 2026
Time: 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Location: Orientation Hall (until capacity is reached)

For those who cannot join in person, a hybrid option is available. Zoom Meeting ID: 826 3566 2178 | Join on Zoom

The forum will be recorded for those unable to attend. The recording and the candidate survey* will be available here from Tuesday, September 22, 2026, at 11 a.m. until Friday, September 25, 2026, at 5 p.m.

*Candidate survey will open on September 22 at 11 a.m.

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Dr. Candace D. Jones

Dr. Candace D. Jones, Ed.D., serves as Vice President of Administrative and Business Services and Chief Business Officer at Long Beach City College, where she provides executive leadership across finance, facilities and capital construction, information technology, campus safety, business operations, and student housing. She stewards approximately $2 billion in unrestricted, restricted, capital, and bond resources, including an active capital program exceeding $750 million. With nearly two decades of leadership across the California Community Colleges, the University of California, and private higher education, Dr. Jones has built her career on the conviction that an institution’s people, systems, and infrastructure are fundamental to advancing access, equity, and student success. Her accomplishments include eliminating a $7 million structural deficit within her first year at Long Beach City College and strategically aligning resources to support enrollment growth, resulting in the largest enrollment class in the college’s history. She has also led major student housing initiatives and public-private partnerships that address students’ basic needs and strengthen their ability to persist and succeed.

A relationship-centered and equity-minded executive, Dr. Jones believes operational excellence and student success are inseparable, and that lasting institutional change is built through trust, transparency, collaboration, and action. Her culture-building leadership has been recognized across the institutions she has served, including the 1865 Courageous Leader Award, Champion of Belonging recognition, and the University of California Commitment to Culture and Principles Award. A first-generation college student and UC Davis Wheelhouse Fellow, Dr. Jones earned her Ed.D. in Equity and Social Change from Saint Mary’s College of California and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in History from Pepperdine University. Her scholarship examines equity, belonging, institutional culture, and the ways organizational systems shape the experiences of employees and students in higher education. Dr. Jones brings together strategic vision, operational expertise, and a deep commitment to educational access, grounded in the belief that ambitious goals require strong relationships, effective systems, and clear accountability.