Dr. Denise Richardson has been appointed president of Berkeley City College. 
Dr. Denise RichardsonBerkeley City College
This decision – to be formally ratified by trustees on Oct. 24 – cements Richardson’s role as leader at BCC, after more than three months of serving as interim president for the school.
Having served in the Peralta Community College District for 20 years now, Richardson’s previous roles include vice president of instruction at Merritt College and dean of math and sciences at Laney College.
Richardson steps into the role at a time when BCC faces declining revenue and enrollment that has yet to fully recover after the COVID-19 pandemic.
As president, she said she will focus on developing a collaborative campus community, closing achievement gaps for Black and brown students, and strengthening BCC’s reputation for academic excellence and social justice. She is looking to appeal to specific groups, such as high school students who can dual enroll, foster youth, and formerly incarcerated students, she said.
“BCC is perfectly poised to lead the nation in closing equity gaps among underrepresented students,” Richardson said at a candidate forum in September. “My vision for success is leveraging our individual and collective skills closing the ethnic gaps through relentless focus and collaboration.”
Richardson holds a B.A. in communication from Oakwood University; an M.A. in political science from San Francisco State University; and a master’s degree in educational leadership and an Ed.D. from Mills College at Northeastern University.
