The Santa Monica College Board of Trustees voted Wednesday, Oct. 28 to appoint Candace D. Jones as the college's next superintendent/president, according to the college.

Jones is vice president of administrative and business services and chief business officer at Long Beach City College. She brings 18 years of leadership experience across the California Community Colleges system, the University of California and private higher education, the college said.

She will succeed Kathryn Jeffery, who announced her retirement in September 2025, effective Dec. 31, 2026. Jeffery has led SMC since February 2016. Jones is expected to step into the role no later than Jan. 1, 2027.

The hire caps a bumpy search. Jones became the sole finalist after the other candidate withdrew for reasons SMC has not publicly disclosed, The Corsair reported. The search was also paused in late August due to what the college's vice president of human resources, Tre'Shawn Hall-Baker, called "unforeseen circumstances," the Santa Monica Daily Press reported.

Some college officials speculated that SMC's ongoing problems may have prompted candidates to withdraw, the Daily Press reported.

Fiscal headwinds

Jones inherits a college under financial strain. In July, the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) placed SMC on enhanced fiscal monitoring after determining the college scored "at-risk" on its Composite Financial Index, the Daily Press reported. Colleges that remain on enhanced monitoring for three consecutive years without resolving fiscal issues could face adverse action, the ACCJC warned.

The commission pointed to expenses exceeding revenue for three straight years, a 34% decline in cash reserves over three years, significantly unfunded retiree benefits and multiple expired labor contracts, the Daily Press reported.

Trustees voted earlier this year to lay off 45 classified employees amid a $14.7 million deficit. College reserves have fallen 61% since peaking at $43.9 million in 2021-22, the Daily Press reported. Faculty contract negotiations remain unresolved.

Budget concerns persisted after trustees adopted the 2026–27 budget in September. Chris Bonvenuto, chair of the District Planning and Advisory Council, warned that the budget did not resolve a projected structural deficit of nearly $5 million for the following year, The Corsair reported. In August, Academic Senate President Vicenta Arrizon had separately identified a roughly $7.6 million structural deficit in the tentative 2026–27 budget.

What Jones brings

At Long Beach City College, Jones oversees finance, facilities, information technology, campus safety and student housing, according to SMC's announcement. The college said she stewards approximately $2 billion in resources, including a capital program exceeding $750 million.

SMC's announcement credits Jones with eliminating a $7 million structural deficit in her first year at Long Beach City College. At a Sept. 22 campus forum, Jones said she closed that gap without layoffs, The Corsair reported.

Jones was cautious about whether further layoffs would be needed at SMC but said incorporating technologies such as artificial intelligence for modeling expenses could help the college plan ahead, The Corsair reported.

Before Long Beach City College, Jones served as assistant superintendent and vice president of business and administrative services at Pasadena City College. She also held a senior executive director role at the UC Office of the President.

A first-generation college student, Jones earned her doctorate in equity and social change from Saint Mary's College of California and holds bachelor's and master's degrees in history from Pepperdine University.

SMC Board Chair Dr. Sion Roy said on X on Oct. 28 that he was "proud to welcome Dr. Jones as the next President of SMC." Faculty contract negotiations and the unresolved structural deficit await her when she takes office.