Dr. Erika Endrijonas Takes the Helm at Santa Barbara City College

Dr. Erika Endrijonas has officially stepped into her role of superintendent/president of Santa Barbara City College (SBCC), as of Tuesday, August 1, taking her place as SBCC’s fifth superintendent-president since 2019 and taking over for interim superintendent-president Kindred Murillo. 

For Endrijonas, the role is a kind of homecoming. She previously served as the City College’s dean of career and technical services from 2000 to 2009. After that, she served as the executive vice president of Oxnard College, president of Los Angeles Valley College, and most recently, superintendent-president of Pasadena City College since January 2019. 

“My first week back at SBCC has been wonderful,” Endrijonas said in SBCC’s announcement on Monday. “I had my sights set on returning to SBCC for over a decade, and I am still pinching myself that my dream became a reality. I have started to meet folks here on campus — some for the first time, some I haven’t seen in 14 years — and it does feel like I have come home. I look forward to the next few weeks on campus as we launch our fall 2023 semester and as I start to meet members of our local community who hold a special place in their hearts for SBCC.”

The city college spent nearly two years searching for the right candidate to fill the role, before selecting Endrijonas in May. Murillo held the position since 2021 and is on contract until September 6, which will be her final day. There will be some overlap between the two leadership positions, but Murillo said that she and Endrijonas have chosen to work together as a “bridge” between their leadership. 

“I am very excited for her and for SBCC as I have hope for all of you in becoming the college you are meant to be,” Murillo said in her farewell letter emailed to the internal SBCC employee community. “Just as humans are works in progress, so are colleges, especially 109-year-old colleges.

“Sometimes we have to experience a cycle of renewal, and I believe SBCC has been moving through a significant period of pain and renewal, and while not perfect, it is part of a growth cycle,” she continued. “I hope you will continue to build the strength and sense of pride and purpose you once had, only as a more equitable, diverse, inclusive, accessible, and anti-racist institution of higher education.”