Board of Governors elects new leaders and honors outgoing president Amy Costa

The California Community Colleges Board of Governors moved forward with a leadership change and a series of tributes during its public meeting. The board elected Hildegard Aguinaldo as president and Bill Rawlings as vice president; the motion carried and members offered public congratulations and formal remarks honoring outgoing President Amy Costa.

Public commenters and board speakers emphasized continuity with the systemwide strategic plan Vision 2030 and recent leadership transitions in the chancellor's office. Paul Medina, a student who spoke during public comment, congratulated "President Hildegard Aguinaldo and Vice President Bill Rawlings on the unanimous election to lead the California Community Colleges Board of Governors," and praised the board's work on Vision 2030. "They truly have hearts of gold," Medina said.

The president-elect (identified only as "president-elect" in the transcript) offered a longer tribute to Amy Costa, calling her a "policy surgeon" who diagnoses issues and works to address them. The president-elect recalled Costa's role in selecting Chancellor Sonia Christian and in advancing the board's strategic agenda: "Be graceful on the top and paddle like hell on the bottom," the president-elect said, recounting a piece of advice from Costa.

Pam Haynes, who spoke later, credited Costa with steady leadership through the COVID-19 transition and highlighted several policy efforts during her service, including work on the associate degree for transfer, the student-centered funding formula and expansion of the baccalaureate degree program. Haynes also informed the board that it is considering naming the boardroom to honor the late Ken Brown of El Camino Community College.

No detailed roll-call tally for the leadership vote is provided in the transcript; multiple board members were recorded saying "Aye" and the chair announced that "the motion carries." The meeting concluded shortly thereafter and the board adjourned.

The board did not take further formal action on policy matters during the remarks and public forum recorded in the transcript. Next procedural steps noted in the meeting included a board photo and post-meeting acknowledgments.