New era begins

By
Jonathan Pechon
Managing Editor

Chancellor brings experience, work ethic

When you hear the word bureaucrat, you might picture someone who tries to maintain a status quo. A person who speaks in trite, nothing phrases. Someone so far away from you that they are impossible to relate to or communicate with.

Enter Dr. Jesus "Jess" Carreon, new DCCCD chancellor and anything but what was just described above.

The first thing you might notice about him is his sense of humor, a sharp wit cultivated from his three decades of experience as an educator. This experience has also birthed a strong sense of confidence, a feature he recognizes as a result of his hard work.

"After 33 years," said Carreon at a press conference in July, "all these skills, the loss of hair, it has to be worth something."

The worth he brings to the table is a keen understanding of how a community college works. He is grimly aware of the financial crisis that state governments currently face and how vulnerable the funds of community colleges can be to elected officials looking to squeeze every penny.

"While they call me an educator," Carreon said of his role, "I'm really a businessman in charge of a non-profit organization called a community college."
Since 1977, he has been involved in community colleges in one aspect or another. His first degree was an associate's degree from Grossmont College in California, but he also has degrees from San Diego State University, the University of California-Irvine and his doctorate in higher education from the University of Southern California.

He is involved in a slew of different organizations in addition to his duties as chancellor, such as the National Community College Hispanic Council and the Association of Community College Trustees. His work ethic is, in a word, awesome. He sets that as a standard for others to follow.

That work ethic helped him to make his decision to move to Dallas. He described himself as "fat, dumb and happy" while working for the three-campus Portland Community College. The challenge of running DCCCD, located in the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country, appeals to him, and he takes his job very seriously.

"This job isn't like a mid-term, you can't cram for it. I've spent 30 years in the system going from point A to point B. I've learned how to grow an organization and improve the delivery of services to the community," he said.

With this kind of background and personality, one might wonder if Dr. Carreon might be more appropriate for a four-year institution. If asked about this, he'll tell you how 50 percent of college students spend some time in community college. He'll describe how community colleges are vital to building a strong workforce.
It's more than just duty that motivates him, though. "I'm where I want to be," he responded. "This is a conscious decision."

The Dallas Morning News and others have described his zeal for working with and promoting two-year schools as "crusader-like." He wants to infect administrators and students with that energy. At the press conference, he described how 40,000 students jammed the capitol building in Sacramento when budget cuts to colleges and universities were being considered.

He is straightforward in his approach to everyone. He asks people to simply call him "Jess," with no titles associated with it. His first board meeting, held on Tuesday, Aug. 12, saw him ask trustees to approve a tax-rate increase and said that tuition increases would probably be on the rise.

He's walked right in and proceeded to address what he sees as the most relevant and dire issues facing the district. He's ready to communicate with both school administrators and student government to hear what they need. And he's ready to stay here for a long time.

"I plan on being here 10 to 15 more years," said Carreon. "As long as I feel I'm making a difference."

With all the big plans that he has, there is one plan that he refuses to make - to be just another bureaucrat.