COD Releases Names of 4 Finalists for President

College of the Desert Announces Four Semi-Finalists for Superintendent/President Role

PALM DESERT –Val Martinez Garcia, acting interim superintendent/president of College of the Desert, is among four semi-finalists who have advanced to the final stage in the nationwide search for the College’s next Superintendent/President.

Following an extensive recruitment process conducted by AGB Search, LLC – a national firm specializing in leadership searches for higher education institutions – the College received 73 qualified applications from across the country.

In addition to Martinez Garcia, the three remaining semi-finalists selected to advance are

• Dr. Monica Chahal, Interim President, Clovis Community College
• Dr. Kimberlee S. Messina, President, Spokane Falls Community College
• Dr. Don Moya-Miller, Vice President/Assistant Superintendent, Rio Hondo College

“The COD Superintendent/Presidential Search has attracted an exceptional group of candidates, each demonstrating a strong commitment to student success, community engagement, and academic excellence,” Dr. Joel Kinnamon, Chair of the COD Board of Trustees, said in a news release. “We are proud to introduce the finalists to the College of the Desert community and invite the public to take part in open forums where they can hear directly from each candidate, ask questions, and share in the important conversation about the future of the college.”

A public forum will take place in person on Thursday, May 1, at the Pollock Theatre on the Palm Desert Campus. The event will also be live-streamed via YouTube to ensure broad access. The time of the public forum will be announced at a later date. Members of the community interested in submitting questions for the in-person forum can submit their questions at https://forms.office.com/r/iYWTxxdKB3.

The Board of Trustees will conduct final interviews with the candidates in person on Friday, May 2, 2025. These interviews will be closed to the public. The Board is expected to announce the next Superintendent/President during an upcoming meeting.

The four finalists were part of a shared governance decision.

There was a total of 18 Search Committee Members or their designee, because those who served on the previous committee could not serve on the second committee.

• One (1) Committee Chair
• Four (4) Faculty, consisting as indicated below
• Three (3) Full-Time Faculty
• One (1) Part-Time Faculty
• Three (3) Classified Professionals
• Three (3) District Administrators
• Two (2) Student Representatives, consisting as indicated below
• One (1) Student Board Trustee
• One (1) Student Senate President
• One (1) President or designee of College of the Desert Foundation
• One (1) President or designee of College of the Desert Alumni Association
• One (1) Member of the District Diversity Committee
• One (1) Member of the District Equity Committee
• One (1) non-voting Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Representative

To view each candidate’s biography, click here.

For more information and updates, please visit www.collegeofthedesert.edu/president.

Photos supplied by COD.