Santa Barbara City College selects Kindred Murillo as interim President/Superintendent
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The Santa Barbara City College Board of Trustees selected Kindred Murillo to serve as the school's interim superintendent/president Thursday.
The decision was made at a Thursday night board meeting.
Murillo's contract is set for one year, with her appointment beginning on Sept. 7, 2021.
“I think we have a winner! Kindred Murillo is a thoroughly experienced Superintendent/President who models the idea of collaborative engagement in the decision-making process. I really look forward to working with her,” said board president Dr. Peter Haslund.
In a recent interview, Murillo outlined her goal for the coming year. “As someone who believes in the power of community colleges to change lives, my goal for Santa Barbara City College is to facilitate the strengths of SBCC to ensure we are focused on every group of students. SBCC has some extraordinary students, faculty, staff and leadership, and I hope to empower them to do great work. That's what leaders do, create the conditions for everyone to do great work.”
SBCC said Murillo has more than 24 years of experience in the California Community College System. Beginning as an adjunct faculty member, she served 11 years as a chief business officer for three districts and 13 years as superintendent/president for two districts.
Murillo retired in 2021 after nearly four years leading the Southwestern Community College District, which has 28,000 students and five locations. There, she was acknowledged for advancing racial equity and student success as well as increasing employee diversity and launching the Advancing Teaching Equity Academy.
Murillo holds a doctorate and master’s degree in organizational leadership and organizational development, respectively, from Pepperdine University and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Redlands.
She is also a proud alumna of Barstow Community College where she earned an associate degree in liberal arts.
