The Ventura County Community College District’s Board of Trustees meeting at Moorpark College on Nov. 9 served as a farewell to the longstanding Chair, Robert Hubert, and Vice Chair, Cheryl Heitmann.

Huber and Heitmann were met with accolades from their peers on the board as well as the community, and they were honored with certificates of recognition for their commitment and student-centric focus over the years.

“This will be really bittersweet for me,” said Heitmann in an address to the audience, “because I love this district and I will always miss it.”

Taking the position of vice chair in lieu of Heitmann will be Dianne McKay, who was in attendance at the board meeting as well.

“I’m obviously very excited to get started,” said McKay, “I hope to work to make it better for students.”

Huber’s 6-year stint on the board will be punctuated with his newly appointed position as the mayor of Simi Valley, a community he has had a hand in for over forty years.

The board decided to appoint the new chairman in a 4-0 vote instead of holding an election for the seat, which could have cost anywhere from $150,000-200,000, according to the Ventura County Elections Division.

The candidate must represent Area 4, which is composed of Moorpark, Simi Valley, Santa Susana and East Los Posas Valley.

The meeting also saw the approval of the allocation of funds from the Measure S program, an initiative passed in 2002 allowing funds for capital improvements on the district’s campuses.

A total of $660,000 in funds were redistributed to certain projects across the district’s campuses, including a addition to Ventura’s Studio Arts Building.