President Jill Board served Cerro Coso Community College for ten years as the 8th President. Upon retirement, the Kern Community College District Board of Trustees named her President Emerita for her 30 years of service within the district. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Pacific Lutheran University, and a Master of Arts in Counselor Education from CSU San Bernardino. She continued to be an active learner throughout her career attending various institutes and symposiums such as Community College Leadership Development Institutes, Future Leaders Institute – Advanced, and the Harvard Seminar for Experienced Presidents. She began her tenure at Cerro Coso Community College as a Counselor/Professor, and then worked in various administrative positions from director/dean to being the Vice President of Student Services prior to her President appointment.
Throughout her career, she was active in district, region, state, and national initiatives that would focus on student success, equity and achievement gaps. She participated in leading the Kern Community College District’s Leadership Academy, was appointed as a Board of Directors on the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium, served on the California Community College Athletic Association Board, was a member of the Community College League of California’s CEO President’s Professional Development Committee, and participated on ACCJC/WASC Accreditation Teams. Nationally, she participated on the American Association of Community Colleges Commissions on Student Success and Small and Rural Colleges, the National Phi Theta Kappa’s Presidents Advisory Board, and Belleview University’s Premier Partners President’s Advisory Board.
President Emerita Jill Board was recognized locally and nationally for her focus on increasing student access and success to higher education. In 2015, she was named Woman of the Year by the Ridgecrest chapter of Beta Sigma Phi. She received the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society Shirley B Gordon Award of Distinction in 2017 and the Phi Theta Kappa Hallmark Award in 2020.
Upon retirement, she co-founded a non-profit organization, Healthcare for Justice, with her son Anthony Walls, MD and daughter-in-law Emily Walls, NP, serving as the CEO/Executive Director. The Foundation provides primary healthcare for human trafficked and domestic violence victims. She sees her purpose in life as one who continues to seek ways to make a difference in the lives of others.
