Running this year in Ventura County Community College District [VCCCD] Board of Trustees 2026 Area 2 is incumbent Lou Lichtl and Roger Bowerman. At a panel hosted by the Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce on Sept. 17 at California Lutheran University, candidates Lichtl and Bowerman spoke on topics impacting the VCCCD including post graduate housing affordability, regional workforce opportunities and graduate programs offered through VCCCD.
Lichtl has been a member of the VCCCD Board of Trustees since 2022 and previously served as a high school educator, administrator, assistant superintendent for the Conejo Valley School District [CVUSD], along with currently serving as an administrator of Passageway School in Newbury Park, a special education school. Bowerman, as a former professor of history at Glendale Community College, plans to use his experience in the community college sector in order to promote student accessibility to bachelor’s degree programs as well as regional employment opportunities for graduates through encouraging the training of students for the work force in community college.
As a current board member, Lichtl outlines the board’s ongoing efforts to create bachelor’s programs at VCCCD schools that he believes would benefit students who are living at home while attending community college.
“[The VCCCD Board] is developing bachelor degree programs so that our students at Moorpark, Oxnard and Ventura College can engage in bachelor degree level programs and stay at home, which I think is very valuable for a lot of our students and a lot of our families,” Lichtl said.
Bowerman emphasizes the value of community college education, and ensuring that a community college education is accessible to all students, regardless of their background.
“[Community College] is a place where anyone can go to get an education as long as it will benefit their life, any age, any interest…. I’ve seen all [students] come into my classroom, and I want to give back to make sure that opportunity remains here. That these community colleges remain open, accessible and supportive of their students,” Bowerman said.
Elections for the VCCCD board will be on Nov. 3 2026. To learn more about candidates’ policies please visit their personal websites. Both candidates believe in strengthening the pathway from college to the workforce, addressing student living costs and enhancing workforce development partnerships.
Leave a Reply