Costa Mesa : Orange Coast College Spokesman Seeks Leave : Huntington Beach

Jim Carnett, a veteran community college public information officer, is seeking a leave of absence from Orange Coast College to join a Costa Mesa public relations and advertising firm for a year.

Carnett, who has been with the college for more than 16 years, has more years of public information service at the community college level than any of his colleagues in the state’s 105 other community colleges.

He confirmed Tuesday that he will ask the Coast Community College Board of Trustees tonight for permission to take a one-year, unpaid leave of absence.

If granted the leave, Carnett said he will join Nelson-Ralston-Robb Communications, a company that has offices in Phoenix and Costa Mesa. He would be an advertising and marketing manager. He would then have the option of returning to the Orange Coast administrative staff after a year.

A resident of Costa Mesa, Carnett, 42, is a 1969 graduate of Orange Coast College. He subsequently obtained his bachelor’s degree in communication from Cal State Fullerton and his master’s degree in education from Pepperdine University. He has won many state and national public relations awards, including being named 1986-87 “Communicator of the Year” by the National Council for Community Relations.