Eliana's Writing

Powell, who was unanimously appointed as chancellor by the Los Rios Board of Trustees, is set to begin his term on July 1, 2026.

Torence Powell, will step into his new role as Los Rios Community College District chancellor on July 1, 2026. He is replacing Brian King, who is retiring at the end of the 2026 spring semester after serving 13 years at LRCCD. 

Powell has a history with LRCCD, as he worked in the district for more than 12 years, and studied at Cosumnes River College after high school. He’s rejoining the LRCCD after four years as the superintendent and president of Napa Valley College. 

“I was born and raised in Sacramento, attended Los Rios as a community college student, and had the benefit of really having some life altering experiences as a student at CRC,” Powell said in an interview with the Current. “The exciting piece for me is this chance to come back and kind of give some of that back to the district, to reinvest into a system in an institution that has been so monumental and life altering, not just for me, but for countless people over the many decades, that Los Rios has served this community.”

Powell was selected as the new chancellor after several rounds of interviews and public forums. The public forums are where ARC President Lisa Cardoza first heard from Powell as a candidate for chancellor. 

Cardoza said she’s excited about Powell’s areas of expertise, including workforce development and equity. As superintendent and president of Napa Valley College, Powell oversaw the opening of the institution’s first student housing complex, River Trail Village. He also led negotiations with faculty and classified unions to avoid what would have been the first strike in NVC’s history, according to The Press Democrat. 

Powell is a first-generation community college student with a bachelor’s degree in social science with a minor in history from Cal State, a master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of Redlands and a master’s degree in urban planning from the University of Washington in Seattle. He also has a doctorate in educational leadership from UC Davis. 

At the forums, Cardoza heard Powell’s story and learned why he is passionate about community college education. 

“He had a rough upbringing and almost didn’t make it through college, and so I think that’s what drives him every day. To know how education changed my life and how passionate I am about helping all our students, I see a lot of that in him as well,” said Cardoza.

According to the Los Rios website, LRCCD is the second largest community college district in California. The district serves over 70,000 students at the most cost-effective price.

In his new role at LRCCD, Powell is committed to ensuring LRCCD remains accessible, and hopes to continue highlighting equity within the district.

 “There’s not really an ending point as it relates to us in our efforts to ensure that we are open access and that we are successfully servicing those most disproportionately impacted students,” Powell said. “It’s just a component of what we, as an institution, need to consistently be mindful of.”

Powell added that he will work to help students in need.

“The one thing that I do bring to the district in this role is an everlasting commitment towards ensuring that all of the work that we do does help to advance those most disproportionately impacted students and that we’re operating from an equity based framework in our decision making,” he said.

Cardoza said she doesn’t anticipate there being any issues with the transition to a new chancellor. 

“[Los Rios] is one of the best districts in California, we’re known for being very financially stable…It’s a really good time to transition because everything else feels sturdy,” said Cardoza.

The Current reached out to Brian King for comment but did not receive a response.