After serving as chancellor for the Los Rios Community College District since 2013, Brian King is getting ready to retire at the end of the 2025-26 school year, ending a career that has spanned over 30 years in higher education.
King said his education journey was truly unexpected. After spending “three soul-crushing years” at a large law firm, King realized it was not a good fit for him. “I went to law school at Duke University, and had no idea I’d be working in education,” he recalled with a laugh. “But I’ve had teachers throughout my family, so I think it was just in the DNA to teach.”
In 1991, King accepted a position at a community college in Missouri to teach American government, business law and a graduate leadership class. What was meant to be a one-year experiment to figure out what his next legal job would be ended up turning into a lifelong journey. “It just opened the door into a whole new career,” he said. King taught for 13 years before making the big leap from Missouri to California.
Originally from Louisiana, King’s path took him to serve as president of Cabrillo College near Santa Cruz in 2004. At the time, he was the youngest community college CEO in all of California according to King. When arriving at Los Rios in 2013, the district was coming from the financial troubles of the Great Recession.
“We were rebuilding after the economic downturn,” King said. “The biggest challenge was coming out of the shadow of the recession and learning to lead such a large, complex organization.”
Today, Los Rios serves nearly 80,000 students across four colleges and manages close to a $1 billion annual budget, creating the second-largest community college district in the state, behind Los Angeles according to King.
During King’s tenure, the district experienced stable growth and notable crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. “On March 13, 2020, we were at a board meeting at Cosumnes River College when the world decided it was time to shut down,” King recalled. Overnight, nearly all classes transitioned to online instruction. Later King contracted COVID, leading him to miss the fall 2021 convocation.
“Before the pandemic, 90% of our classes were in-person,” he said. “During it, almost everything became remote.”
The shift, though, became a challenge and led to long-term changes that ended up helping improve access for students. “Now almost half of our classes are remote, and students can do things like meet with counselors and handle financial aid online. Those changes were painful but beneficial.”
King said he’s most proud of how his team navigated those years. “The pandemic forced impossible decisions, there were so many 50/50 calls where no matter what you chose, half the people disagreed. But we always tried to do what was best for students, and we never lost our culture.”
Sometimes challenges arose, including when City College’s Academic Senate, who are a group of staff that make suggestions to the Los Rios District board of trustees, voted unanimously (among those present) for a vote of no confidence in King in December 2023, after concerns in his leadership and complaints over mismanagement of safety concerns at American River College. But King continued with his tenure.
“Los Rios has long been one the strongest, most stable community college districts in the state.” said City College President Albert Garcia. “Managing four distinct colleges and a district office is no small feat. Chancellor King has kept a focus on how our colleges can best work together as one strong district.”
Recently, the LRCCD board of trustees selected the three finalists to replace King. They include: Lisa Aguilera Lawerson, who is currently the superintendent and president of San Joaquin Delta College; Art Pimentel, president of Folsom Lake College; and Torence Powell, superintendent and president of Napa Valley College (formally the associate vice chancellor of instruction for Los Rios). On Dec. 8, from 9 a.m. until noon, a virtual candidate forum will be held during which community members can send in questions and offer feedback.
When asked how he views success today, King said his focus has always been very clear to him. “From my first day teaching, my goal has been to meet students where they are and help them transform their lives,” he said. “That’s been my North Star all along.”
As for King’s legacy, he is humble. “When leaders leave, hopefully the organization is in great shape for the next person. If people remember me at all, I hope it’s as someone who worked hard, kept students first and supported his team.”
King plans to stay put locally after stepping down. “Both my wife and I love Sacramento, and it’s a great place to live,” he said. With two adult children, ages 24 and 26, King said family life has been a grounding force throughout his career. He hasn’t yet figured out what will come next.
“I’ve had a full-time job for as long as I can remember,” he said. “Maybe I’ll catch my breath for a bit. But there’s still a lot of gas left in the tank, and it’ll be fun to figure out the next chapter.” He plans to spend his time running, reading, traveling and finally get to the stack of books on his nightstand.
As he prepares to hand over the torch, King is hopeful about the future of community colleges. “The future is bright,” he said. “Community colleges have a wonderful story to tell, and the power to transform lives will only grow stronger in the years ahead.”
