District welcomes new president

The Coast Community College District has selected a new president for Coastline Community College.

Loretta Adrian was unanimously approved by the district Board of Trustees on May 19. Coastline is based in Fountain Valley and has locations in Garden Grove, Westminster and Costa Mesa.

Adrian, the current vice president of student services at Skyline College in San Mateo and has worked at San Diego Mesa College as the dean of student affairs and development, will take over the post on July 1.

“It’s a leadership dream come true to me,” Adrian said.

Adrian will replace Marilyn Brock, who has been filling in since former President Ding-Jo Currie was appointed interim district chancellor in January 2009 and then officially appointed chancellor in November.

The district went through a nationwide search to fill the position, and Adrian was chosen from about 50 qualified candidates, said Jerry Patterson, president of the Board of Trustees.

Adrian will bring intelligence and an entrepreneurial spirit to the college, Patterson said.

“She is just a bundle of enthusiasm ready to go to work,” he said.

The position is the highlight of her career, Adrian said, who added she pursued the position because of Coastline’s innovative teaching methods, bringing education to military, incarcerated and working-adult students.

“I was really attracted to Coastline and the Coast district,” she said. “I wanted to be with an innovative and really stable district.”

The move also brings her closer to her two grown sons and new grandchild.

She has a doctorate in higher education from Claremont Graduate University and a master’s degree in communication theory from University of the Pacific.