5 Still Vying for 2 College Presidencies : Education: Two of the finalists for the institutions in Ventura and Moorpark are from the county district.

Five educators, two of them from the Ventura County Community College District, are up for the two presidency slots at Ventura and Moorpark colleges, The Times has learned.

The candidates, who were chosen from nearly 65 applicants, are expected to be reviewed by the district’s board of trustees in a closed meeting Thursday night.

Trustees hope to make a final decision at their meeting April 14, concluding a five-month national search for applicants to fill the two $100,000-a-year positions.

According to a district source, three people are being considered for the Moorpark position: Darlene Pacheco, vice president of instruction at Moorpark College; James Walker, assistant superintendent-vice president of instruction and student services at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita; and Lester Vierra, the former president of Casper College in Casper, Wyo.

The candidates for the Ventura position are John Tallman, the district’s vice chancellor of instructional services; Jesus (Jess) Carreon, vice president of instruction at El Camino College in Torrance; Pacheco and Walker.

“We need a good leader as well as a good business person,” said Pete Tafoya, president of the board of trustees. “I’m very happy with the candidates.

“They’ve paid their dues. They’ve been in positions of leadership and have proven their skills.”

The winning Ventura candidate will replace President Robert Long, who is retiring in June. And the successful Moorpark candidate will fill the slot vacated by Stanley Bowers, who was demoted amid allegations that he misused college money.

The five candidates were selected after extensive interviews by a committee of faculty, administrators and classified staff from the district’s three colleges, said J. D. Pauley, associate vice chancellor for personnel.

Pauley said he was impressed with the quality of the applicants.

“We had people applying from all over,” he said. “But most of them were from California.”

Pacheco and Walker said Tuesday that they were honored to be among the top contenders.

“I’m very flattered,” Walker said. “I see so much down the road for community colleges in growth areas. . . . We provide a service where others can’t.”

Said Pacheco: “I feel like I did well to get this far. The committee process is really quite rigorous. I’m quite pleased.”

Pacheco joined the college district in 1966 as an instructor at Ventura College and was named director of the social sciences division at Moorpark College in 1979. She has served as dean of general and transfer education at the college and in 1988 was named vice president of instruction.

Walker joined College of the Canyons in 1986 as an assistant superintendent and vice president. From 1977 through 1986, he served as dean of several science and mathematics divisions at El Camino College. He also worked as a math instructor at the college. He has a master’s degree in mathematics from the University of Notre Dame and a doctorate in higher education from the University of Southern California.

Vierra served as the president of Casper College for two years before becoming a consultant in June, 1990. He was also president of a community college in Alaska for six years and spent a year as a special assistant to the chancellor at the University of Alaska at Anchorage.

Tallman has been the district’s vice chancellor of instructional services since 1983. From 1980 through 1983, he was the dean of instruction at Ventura College. He has also worked as a swimming instructor.

Carreon was named vice president for instruction at El Camino College in 1987. Before joining the Torrance college, Carreon was director of instructional and vocational programs at San Bernardino Valley College. He is a native of San Diego.

Times correspondent Jane Hulse contributed to this story.