Omar Javier Torres is quite familiar with creating positive spaces for students on campuses. Torres believes it is a right to have an education and that barriers need to be removed to give people access and opportunities to succeed.
Torres, the current vice president of instruction at the College of the Canyons since 2020, was selected by Foothill-De Anza Community College District Chancellor Lee Lambert earlier this month to become the new De Anza college president. He will take office on Jan. 3 and becomes the college’s fifth president.
Torres will be replacing Interim President Christina G. Espinosa-Pieb. Espinosa-Pieb held the position since Feb. 2024 when former president Lloyd Holmes chose to resign after four years. Espinosa-Pieb was also the previous interim president from 2018-2020 and has served as vice president of instruction from 2008-2023.
Torres said he is looking forward to working at a “cutting edge school” like De Anza College where they strive to teach students new technological opportunities such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality. He was drawn to the school because of its goals for equitable success and helping the community build skills through apprenticeship and higher education.
“I’m very passionate about providing students, as well as faculty and staff, access to the necessary professional development so that they can try to find creative new ways to infuse these emerging technologies into their teachings and into the work that we do every day,” Torres said.
Torres said he is an advocate for including non-traditional students in the community college system. He is passionate about connecting middle school and high school students with pathway programs to help prepare them for the collegiate level and to give them the necessary training if they want to join the workforce right away. He also supports community extension programs for those wishing to continue learning new skills. He said De Anza does a great job helping people find their niche and passions and supporting them through their educational journeys.
“The beauty of community colleges is really too enlighten our students at all levels, but certainly, to try to get them on a path towards the workforce,” Torres said. “We have an incredible opportunity, through the engagement that the community college colleges can have with high school and middle schools to provide opportunities to learn. That’s work that we’ve been doing here at College of the Canyons, and it’s work that I know that the deans have been doing, and it’s the work that I want to help continue to support, promote and enlighten our student population.”
It is important in professional relationships to learn and embrace different cultures, Torres said. At College of the Canyons, Torres serves a large Hispanic population compared to De Anza’s large Asian population. He said it will be important for him to recognize the different viewpoints of the new community and listen to faculty, staff and students who have already been working on building an inclusive learning environment. As the next president, he will also ensure that minoritized and LGBTQIA+ students feel comfortable at the school and feel a place of belonging.
“We have an incredible, international students program. That just formulated a new baccalaureate degree in automotive technology management,” Torres said. “We offer, with all the diversity that we have on campus with the students and the communities that we serve, one of the most robust modern languages programs in the state. We offer so many different foreign languages. It’s remarkable the work that the college does. I would argue that there is a place for everyone.”
Torres said on his first day, he will commence his 100 days of listening to provide an opportunity to learn from others on campus. He said it will be important for him to be accessible when he begins to get a sense of what is working on campus and how to best serve people. He said does not want to spend too much time hearing about the negative of an issue but hopes to work with people to find
a solution.
“I want people to feel like they can talk to me about the moments of brilliance that they’re having,” Torres said. “I want to discuss how we can do those things, moving the needle further to support and promote student success and how we can continue to build a culture that is based on the notion that we’re going to be innovative, entrepreneurial, and forward-thinking. The school is going to need to embrace technology and create a safe, inclusive and transparent space where all voices and ideas are welcomed.”
To learn more about Torres, visit fhda.edu/_news-and-events/A-TorresNamedDeAnzaPresident.html.
