YCCD Has A New Chancellor

Modesto, CA — The Yosemite Community College District (YCCD) Board of Trustees has picked its new Chancellor citing that his ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking gave him the edge over the other candidates.

As reported here, last month the board announced it had whittled the field down to four finalists and held open candidate forums.  Thursday the board announced it had voted unanimously for Henry Chiong Vui Yong to take over the position.

Yong’s career has spanned over 30 years with experience in both teaching and administration that include high school vocational training, adult education, and community colleges. For the past six years Yong has been the President and Chief Executive Officer at Evergreen Valley College (EVC) in San Jose. Yong comments, “I am greatly honored, humbled and appreciative of this opportunity to serve YCCD, and I look forward to working with our partners in the community to continue to advance educational opportunities for our students and their families.”

The board points to Yong’s belief of the importance for students to develop a global perspective in higher education in order to succeed in today’s competitive world as another reason for selecting him. Yong graduated with a Master of Arts degree from Loma Linda University in Educational Administration and Leadership.

Yong will replace Chancellor Joan Smith, who retired in January after serving in the position for six years. The board will officially ratify Yong as chancellor at its next board meeting in June.  His first day on the job will be July 1.