Napa Valley College’s Board of Trustees Appoints Dr. Robert Frost Interim Superintendent/President at Napa Valley College

Dr. Robert (Rob) Frost was named interim superintendent/president at Napa Valley College (NVC) at a special board meeting on December 9, 2021, announced Jennifer Baker, president, NVC Board of Trustees. Dr. Frost will start his new post effective January 10, 2022,

“The board of trustees is excited to welcome Dr. Frost as interim superintendent/president,” Baker said. “Our board believes that Dr. Frost’s skill set and experience are exactly what is needed to assist Napa Valley College at this time. He is an accomplished leader with wide experience in both rural and urban colleges.

“We were particularly impressed by his knowledge and experience with fiscal issues and in dealing with funding challenges. We anticipate he will be a very visible, engaged interim president who will be transparent and will assist the board in making informed decisions about the college’s future.”

Frost has worked in higher education for more than 30 years, most recently as interim dean of business and applied technologies for Chaffey College. In 2019, after serving as dean of the John Adams Campus at City College San Francisco for three years, he opted for the SERP (Supplemental Employee Retirement Plan), which allowed him to prioritize interim assignments.

Frost also served as president at Centralia College in Washington and vice president of student learning and interim president at College of the Siskiyous in California, where he led the successful recovery over three years after the college was placed on “warning” status by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC).

Frost spent 16 years in St. Louis, Missouri and Illinois colleges as director of international programs, humanities director and tenured professor of Latin American studies and Spanish.

He also served on the board of FIELD: Farmworker Institute for Education and Leadership Development in California, where he stepped down from the board to serve as interim chief of staff/chief business officer and address a number of programmatic, legal and funding challenges.

In addition to his service at FIELD, which was founded by the Cesar Chavez family to increase educational opportunities for minorities, Frost served on the board of NAFSA: Association of International Educators, as well as on both economic development and chamber boards, where he has supported program and partnership growth as a community member. Frost has also served on several editorial boards including the Journal of Education Finance since 2007, and the Community College Journal of Research and Practice.

“I am honored to join this distinguished learning community and support the continued student success in the Napa Valley district,” said Frost. “From my reading to date, I am extremely impressed with the work underway, talent in place and efforts to address challenges this year. I also applaud the college community for the recent recognition from the Aspen Institute for NVC’s efforts and improvements in educational equity.”

In the interim position, Dr. Frost will provide leadership for the Napa Valley Community College District until the board appoints a permanent superintendent/president, which is expected to happen in June 2022.

Frost holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Wichita State University. He also holds a master’s degree in history/international relations from Webster University and a PhD in educational organization and leadership from University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign. He has written numerous articles, reports and training materials pertaining to rural colleges, resource development and international/intercultural programs. He is a frequent speaker in higher education forums and considers himself a “devoted student of the community college.” Early in his career, he was a teacher at American Community School in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Colegio Americano, Yacyreta, Paraguay and is fluent in Spanish.

In his off hours, Frost enjoys playing music, woodworking and home projects as well as spending time outdoors with family and friends and Toby Jake, his nine-year-old shepherd.

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