History of the District

The Contra Costa Community College District was founded in 1948 by a public vote and first opened its doors to students in 1949. It is the eighth largest multicollege community college district in California. CCCCD serves a population of 948,816 people, and its boundaries encompass all but 48 of the 734 square mile land area of Contra Costa County. The District Office is located in historic downtown Martinez.

The Contra Costa Community College District is governed by an elected five-member Governing Board, who serve four-year terms, and one Student Trustee elected by all District students, who serves a one-year term on a rotational basis among the colleges. The Chancellor, appointed by the Governing Board, carries out the policies of the District.

Former Governing Board Members:

Ward 1
Elton Brombacher: 1949 - 1959
William Kretzmer: 1959 - 1973
Lloyd Farr: 1973 - 1990
Maria Viramontes: 1990 - 1994
David MacDiarmid: 1994 - 2006

Ward II
Bert Coffey: 1949 - 1952
Pat Butler: 1952 - 1954
Edgar Dale: 1954 - 1960
Glenn Clemetson: 1960 - 1971
Coleman Fannin: 1971 - 1972
William Moses: 1973 - 1996
Kristine Chase: 1996 - 2000
David Girard: 2000 - 2004

Ward III
George Gordon: 1949 - 1977
Eugene Ross: 1977 - 1998

Ward IV
O.J. Wohlgemuth: 1949 - 1961
Harmon Howard: 1961 - 1968
Lee Winters: 1968 - 1994

Ward V
Fred Abbott: 1949 - 1962
William Baldwin: 1963 - 1988
Bill Corey: 1988 - 1999
Greg Feere: 1999 - 2000
Jess Reyes: 2000 - 2004

Former Chancellors:

  • Drummond McCunn: 1949-1962
  • Troika: 1962 - 1965
    Board Member: George Gordon
    Diablo Valley College President: Karl Drexel
    Contra Costa College President: Bob Faul
  • Karl Drexel: 1965-1974
  • Harry Buttimer: 1974-1984
  • Karl Drexel, Acting: 1984
  • John Carhart: 1984-1991
  • Robert Jensen: 1991-1995
  • Jack Miyamoto, Interim: 1995
  • Charles Spence: 1996-2004
  • Phyllis Gilliland, Acting: 2004-2005
  • Lois Callahan, Interim: 2005
  • Helen Benjamin (Spencer-Carr): 2005-Present

The Colleges: