Matthew Jordan
Los Angeles Community College (LACCD) has appointed Dr. Matthew Jordan interim president of West Los Angeles College. Dr. Jordan currently serves as vice president of Academic Affairs at Los Angeles Valley College. He has served as Accreditation Liaison Officer at three colleges—Los Angeles Valley College, Los Angeles Pierce College, and Pasadena City College—and brings extensive experience in budget management. Dr. Jordan earned his Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from UCLA's Graduate School of Education & Information Studies in 2019. He also holds a Master’s of Fine Arts in Photography from UCLA and a Bachelor’s of Arts from Yale University.
Laurel Bongiorno
Dr. Laurel Bongiorno has been appointed the 13th president of Hartwick College, effective on July 1st, 2026. Dr. Bongiorno currently serves as vice president for academic affairs and provost at Hartwick. Her previous roles include serving as dean of the Division of Education and Human Studies and dean of the Stiller School of Business at Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont. Bongiorno earned her doctorate in education from Walden University, her master’s in early childhood education from Boston University’s Wheelock College of Education and Human Development, and her bachelor’s in business/economics from Gordon College. She is also certified in appreciative inquiry from Champlain College.
Michael E. Spagna
The Board of Trustees of California State University (CSU) has appointed Michael E. Spagna as president of Sonoma State University (SSU), who will assume office on January 20, 2026. Spagna, who currently serves as interim president of California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, previously served as provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at CSU Dominguez Hills for seven years and nine years as dean of the Michael D. Wisner College of Education at California State University (CSUN). Spagna holds a Ph.D. in special education from the UC Berkeley and San Francisco State University joint doctoral program. He also earned a master’s degree in special education from UCLA and a bachelor’s degree in communicative disorders from Northwestern University.
Terence Finley
Dr. Terence L. Finley was named the 8th president of Corning Community College on November 14, 2025, effective January 2nd, 2026. He previously served as Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Harris-Stowe State University. Dr. Finley brings extensive leadership experience from higher education and corporate sectors, including Intel and NVIDIA. Dr. Finley earned his Ph.D. in educational leadership with an emphasis in higher education from Prairie View A&M University, a Master of Business Administration in marketing and logistics from Pennsylvania State University, and a Bachelor of Science with concentrations in marketing and economics from SUNY Brockport.
