Woodland Hills : Pierce College’s Lee Is Reassigned

Pierce College acting President Mary Lee, who learned recently that she had been passed over by a selection committee seeking a permanent president for the school, has asked to be reassigned to another job and is not expected to return to work at Pierce, officials said Thursday.

Neil Yoneji, chancellor of the Los Angeles Community College District, has asked that Jack Fujimoto, a former president of Mission College, be named acting president in Lee’s place. Fujimoto, 67, worked for the district more than 30 years, including serving in various administrative posts at Pierce.

The district Board of Trustees, which has final say, will consider Yoneji’s recommendation on Wednesday, officials said. Fujimoto would replace Carmelita Thomas, Pierce College’s acting vice president of academic affairs, who has been doubling as acting president.

“It’s not anything against Carmelita Thomas,” Yoneji said, citing the heavy workload she has carried in her two roles.

Yoneji said he believes Fujimoto’s experience at Pierce College makes him suitable to serve as acting president. “He’s been there. He’s worked there,” Yoneji said. “People respect him.”

Three finalists are being interviewed for the president’s job and a decision is expected within the next few weeks, officials said. It could as long as three months, officials said, before the new president could report to work at Pierce.

In a memo circulated on campus Thursday, school officials called a meeting for noon today to update faculty and students on the latest developments.

Lee, a Chatsworth resident, has been the college’s acting president for 21 months. She learned more than two weeks ago that she had been passed over by an 18-member selection committee and has been on vacation leave ever since. She was granted another week’s vacation Wednesday, officials said.