Lizette Navarette

Lizette Navarette, EdD ’21 has been selected as the new president of Woodland Community College as of January 8, 2024. Navarette has served at the California Community Colleges for the past four years, most recently as executive vice chancellor leading the Office of Institutional Supports and Success, which includes college finance, facilities planning, institutional effectiveness, and government relations. She was responsible for formulating policies that determine the distribution of over $13 billion in local assistance and capital outlay funds to the state’s 73 community college districts, professional development which advances student success, and coordinating state and federal matters for the system.

Previously at the California Community Colleges, Navarette served as interim deputy chancellor and as the vice chancellor of College Finance and Facilities Planning, as the first woman to hold that position.

Navarette has also served as vice president of the Community College League of California, where she oversaw budget and policy advocacy for California’s community college districts. She also served as the associate director of regional relations for the University of California, Riverside and as the Youth & Education Coordinator for the City of Riverside, where she oversaw several youth programs, education policy and partnerships. 

Navarette has an extensive history championing student success, affordability, and equitable educational opportunities for all students. While in city leadership, Navarette led efforts to appoint youth leaders to all city boards and commissions to elevate the perspectives of young, diverse residents. As a higher education leader, Navarette helped launch Completion Counts Riverside—a catalyzing college access and success initiative between civic, education, and business leaders. She has led several student access, equity, and success strategies, including securing statutory changes to expand dual enrollment through the passage of AB 288. As Vice President of the Community College League of California, she worked closely with the Chief Executive Officer Board of California Community Colleges to establish the Affordability, Food, and Housing Access Taskforce and wrote several successful pieces of legislation to increase basic needs supports, including expanding CalFresh access to community college students. At the Chancellor’s Office, she led and authored student-centered regulatory policies such as excused withdrawal and distance education flexibility to accommodate students during crises. 

Navarette earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and international relations from UC Riverside, a master’s degree in public administration from the University of La Verne, and a doctorate in education from UC Davis. In 2021, Navarette earned the United Nations Global Education for All award for her research on working adult learners. Navarette is a proud first-generation graduate.