2 Men Named as Tentative Picks for College Jobs : Education: The district board selects the L.A.-area administrators for the presidencies at the Moorpark and Ventura schools.

Ventura County college district officials on Thursday night tentatively selected two Los Angeles-area educators to be the next presidents of Moorpark and Ventura colleges.

Meeting behind closed doors, district officials picked James W. Walker, assistant superintendent of College of the Canyons in the Santa Clarita Valley, as the preferred candidate for Moorpark College president, a source said. The trustees chose Jesus (Jess) Carreon, the vice president of instruction at El Camino College in Torrance, as their preference for Ventura College’s top job.

Ventura County Community College District officials will visit the two colleges next week to do additional reference checks on Walker and Carreon before making a final decision on the matter at their April 14 board meeting.

During a meeting at the district’s offices, members of the board of trustees chose Walker and Carreon over Wyoming educator Lester Vierra and two top Ventura County college administrators, Darlene Pacheco and John Tallman. The five finalists were picked from a pool of 65 applicants for the two $100,000-a-year jobs.

District trustees said their selections were not made easily.

“The board has been very pleased with the candidates,” said board President Pete Tafoya. “It’s been a tough process to select from such quality candidates. . . . Unfortunately we can’t pick them all.”

Trustee Timothy Hirschberg said he was impressed by the five finalists interviewed by the board. “They are all top-caliber leaders and would steer those colleges in the right direction.”

Both Walker and Carreon have a long history of working as community college administrators and teachers.

Walker joined College of the Canyons in 1986 as an assistant superintendent and vice president, responsible for supervising all instructional, student and community services.

During his tenure, he helped establish a program to train students for management jobs in the hotel and restaurant industry, a growing field in the Santa Clarita Valley.

From 1977 through 1986, Walker served as dean of science and mathematics at El Camino 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.

He said he would welcome a chance to move to Ventura County.

“It’s an area that is poised for growth,” Walker said earlier this week. “There is so much that needs to be done to make certain we are able to serve the community and provide an education. That’s a big charge.”

Ventura College favorite Jess Carreon has served as the vice president for instruction at El Camino College since 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.