24 to watch in 2024: Torence Powell, superintendent and president of Napa Valley College
Name: Torence Powell
Title or position: Superintendent and president of Napa Valley College
On the job since: July 2022
Age: 43
Hometown: Sacramento
Why Torence Powell is someone to watch:
Powell took charge of Napa Valley College as its superintendent/president in July 2022, about two decades after he attended a south Sacramento community college and found educational inspiration there.
Upon assuming leadership, Powell was most interested in long-term equity-focused changes and connecting the school with the greater Napa community.
But Powell had to first figure out how to right the ship and restore trust in an institution that had been forced to remove his longtime predecessor because of alleged fiscal mismanagement. The school had undergone years of budget cuts — which led to an accreditation watch — and was in the aftermath of a ransomware attack.
Powell has worked over the past year and a half to restore trust in the institution, setting it up for major changes coming in 2024.
Most prominently, that includes the opening of NVC’s first student housing — a 588-bed complex spread across three four-story buildings. Work is also moving forward to set the tone for how the college evolves, including the creation of an educational master plan.
“The casual observer may not really notice or even see the significance in things like developing an educational master plan or really providing clarity to what our governance structure is,” Powell said. “But for us these are pillars for conducting business.”
What others are saying about Powell:
“He’s worked to heal these past wounds that affected our entire college community,” said Jeni Olsen, Napa Valley College District 5 trustee. “I think before he could really start focusing externally, he had to do a lot of work internally. He had to build that trust back with the college at every level, with students, with faculty and staff, and with the greater community. He took the time to do that well, to set the foundation that we’re now able to launch from.”
What Powell says about 2024:
“Really centering the student experience in how we conduct our business and what we prioritize as an institution is part of 2024 in a major way,” Powell said. “For us, as a community college, a lot of that centers on doing what we can to address student’s basic needs. We know that, for many students, their success is determined in no small part by their potential or capacity to receive support in some basic needs. And I’m defining those needs as housing security, food security, transportation and mental health. To the extent that we can provide assistance and help for students in those areas, we’re significantly increasing their chance of success and persistence.”
You can reach Staff Writer Edward Booth at 707-521-5281 or edward.booth@pressdemocrat.com.
Torence Powell
Superintendent and president of Napa Valley College
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