NORTHERN CALIFORNIA — The Yuba Community College District Board is welcoming three new members to its seven-member board.

William Cornelius, Area 3; John Cassidy, Area 4; and Jose Garcia, Area 6 won election to the board in the Nov. 5 election.

Cornelius, Cassidy and Garcia will succeed board members Rita Andrews, Juan Delgado and Susan Alves, respectively.

Area 2 Trustee Denise Burbank and Area 7 Trustee Douglas Harris also won reelection to retain their seat on the seven-member YCCD Board of Trustees.

Burbank was first elected to the YCCD Board of Trustees in 2020, attended Yuba College, serves as an elected trustee of the Olivehurst Public Utility District, and is president/founder of SoYouCan, a local nonprofit organization.

Harris was appointed to the YCCD Board of Trustees in early 2022 and elected to a partial two-year term in November 2022. He earned a Master of Social Work from San Francisco State University, has taught for many years at the Lake Campus of Woodland Community College, and is an advocate for low-income people, seniors, and those with disabilities.

The newly elected and reelected trustees will join continuing board members Richard Teagarden, Area 1; and Jesse Ortiz, Area 5.

YCCD serves over 9,500 unduplicated students annually at their two colleges — Yuba College and Woodland Community College — and campuses in Colusa, Lake and Sutter counties.

YCCD trustees are elected by the communities within the ward area they represent in the District’s almost 4,200 square mile service area.

The District Chancellor and the Board will invite the new trustees to participate in a rich set of onboarding activities in the coming months to ensure not only a successful start but also sustained effectiveness for all trustees across their tenures.

The public is invited to attend the Governing Board meeting held at Yuba College, 2088 N. Beale Road, Building 300 in Marysville on Dec. 19.

The administering of the oath of office for all five newly elected trustees will start at 3 p.m. and the annual organizational meeting will begin at 4:45 p.m. followed by the regular open session at 5p.m. The community can also view the ceremony and regular public meeting via Zoom at https://yccd-edu.zoom.us/j/82576145364.

More information about the new trustees follows.

WILLIAM CORNELIUS (Area 3)

William Cornelius is the retired superintendent of schools for Sutter County. Having grown up in Southern California and attending La Quint High School and Golden West Community College before attending California State University, Chico, Cornelius is a proud product of the California community college system and all it can offer.

After graduating from CSU Chico, he went into teaching in Colusa County before moving to Yuba City to become the principal of Live Oak High School, Biggs Unified School District as superintendent/high school principal, and then the Sutter County superintendent of schools. In these positions, he helped many of his students attend Yuba College and has also coached the Yuba College football team.

Cornelius hopes to bring his knowledge, experience and energy in guiding YCCD to meet the changing educational needs of the community.

JOHN CASSIDY (Area 4)

John Cassidy has been a board member of the Yuba Community College District Foundation for the past 20 years and has served as the honorary base commander at Beale Air Force Base for 13 years.

He attended high school in Livermore, California, and attended Butte College for two years before transferring and graduating from the University of San Francisco.

Cassidy retired after a 41-year career in the banking industry including leadership roles as the CEO of the Sierra Central Credit Union in Northern California, and two terms as chairman of the California Credit Union League Association and serving on their executive committee.

Cassidy is proud of his community involvement by raising funds for the Children’s Miracle Network hospitals and Big Brothers Big Sisters, and has chaired “The Event” concert series that raises funds for a variety of charities in Northern California.

JOSE GARCIA (Area 6)

Jose Garcia lives in Esparto and is the president/executive director of Garcia Almond Farms.

He received his Bachelor of Science degree from CSU Sacramento and obtained the Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification from UC Davis School of Management.

Garcia is proud of his leadership with GCC Acres Inc., a residential care facility, and business experience as a branch manager for Bank of America/Countrywide Home Loans.

He looks forward to applying his business knowledge and experience to help the district be more efficient and optimize resources to benefit students.