SBCCD Board Elects Dr. Nathan Gonzales as Chair for 2025

Trustee Nathan Gonzales was elected chair of the San Bernardino Community College District’s governing board during its December 13 meeting. Joseph R. Williams will serve as vice chair, and Dr. Cherina Betters as clerk. The board executive committee, in collaboration with Chancellor Diana Z. Rodriguez, will oversee policies and funding to support the district’s mission of serving 20,000 students.

SBCCD encompasses Crafton Hills College, San Bernardino Valley College, KVCR Public Media, and the Economic Development and Corporate Training Center, which offers hands-on workforce training in partnership with local industries and community organizations.

“It’s a privilege to serve the Inland Empire and the thousands of students who choose San Bernardino Valley College and Crafton Hills College. Our Board, administration, faculty, and classified staff are deeply committed to our region and helping students develop the tools they will use to make the Inland Empire an even better place to live and work.”

Gonzales has represented SBCCD Trustee Area 4 — which includes Loma Linda, Redlands, and portions of Colton and San Bernardino — since joining the board in November 2021. With 25 years of service to the City of Redlands, Gonzales is a historian, archivist, and curator in the Special Collections Division at A.K. Smiley Public Library. Since 2013, he has managed the library’s Lincoln Memorial Shrine museum, overseeing its annual budget, personnel, and volunteer programs. He also serves as an adjunct professor in the History Department at University of Redlands.

Gonzales earned his bachelor’s degree in history from University of the Pacific and both a master’s degree and Ph.D. in history from the University of California, Riverside.

Vice Chair Joseph R Williams

Williams has represented SBCCD Trustee Area 2, which includes the communities of Muscoy, Rialto, and San Bernardino, since 2013. He is Community Agent of Strategic Partnerships for the Rialto Unified School District and serves as a governor’s appointee to the California Community Colleges Board of Governors.

Clerk Cherina Betters, Ed.D.

Betters was appointed in June 2024 to fill a vacancy on the board, representing SBCCD Trustee Area 7, which includes parts of San Bernardino, Highland, Lake Arrowhead, and mountain communities. She was elected to a full term in November 2024 and serves as the Chief of Equity and Access for the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools.

The newly elected officer team is set to guide SBCCD’s efforts in expanding educational access, promoting workforce development, and fostering partnerships that benefit the Inland Empire.