STOCKTON — After conducting an extensive nation-wide search, San Joaquin Delta College’s board has selected Acting Superintendent/President, Kathleen Hart, as Delta’s next superintendent/president.

The announcement was made during a special Tuesday board meeting. Hart is Delta’s first woman superintendent/president.

Last week, the board interviewed the top five candidates. Delta’s trustees unanimously identified Hart as the candidate that stood out as “the best qualified and best for San Joaquin Delta College.” The board decided to suspend the remaining recruitment process as an unnecessary expenditure of time and resources.

 Hart has a distinguished academic career as an instructor and administrator.  She is currently a member of the Stockton Arts Commission, and a member of the Stockton Symphony Board of Directors. First hired at Delta College in 1994 as Assistant Division Chair for Communication Skills, she was promoted in 2000 to Division Chair of Communication Skills. In 2002, Hart was again promoted to Dean of Planning, Research and Regional Education. In 2008, she was hired as Assistant Superintendent/Vice President of Instruction. Hart has been serving as Delta’s Acting Superintendent/President since February 2012.

During her tenure as Acting Superintendent/President, Hart led the college through a rigorous accreditation “Follow-Up Report” which enabled the college to be removed from the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior College “Warning” status, reaffirming the college’s accreditation.

The college will begin the process of negotiating an employment contract between Hart and the District, subject to approval at a regular Board of Trustees meeting.