Board of Trustees
For additional information please call 805-922-6966 ext. 3245
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Area 1 trustee (central and northern Santa Maria) |
Area 2 trustee (southeast Santa Maria, Orcutt, Cuyama Valley) |
| Area 3 trustee (southern Santa Maria, Guadalupe) Larry Lahr
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Area 4 trustee (Lompoc Valley) Bernard Jones  Bernard Jones, has represented the Lompoc Valley since he was elected to a four-year
term in November 2004. He served as vice president in 2009-10. Mr. Jones is a senior
engineer with General Dynamics. He was the first Black American to graduate from Southwest
Texas State University with a degree in physics. He also has a master's degree in
public administration from the University of Houston. As a 23-year veteran of the
U.S. Air Force, Lt. Col. Jones received numerous medals and decorations, but said
he is proudest of his Humanitarian Services Medal for service during the Cuban refugee
boatlift in 1980 and medals he received while working with space shuttle astronauts
while at Johnson Space Center in Houston.
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Area 5 trustee (Casmalia, Santa Ynez Valley, Vandenberg AFB) |
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Hilda Zacarías was elected for a four-year term in November 2012 to represent Area
1, which includes Northern Santa Maria. A self- employed tax accountant and organizational
management consultant, she was recognized in 1975 as a Distinguished Alumni of Allan
Hancock College and received the Distinguished Service Award from Cal Poly State University.
In 1993, she was the youngest person appointed and then elected to the Santa Maria
Joint Union High School District Board of Trustees, serving five years. Ms. Zacarias
was elected in 2006 to the Santa Maria City Council and in 2010 was the Democratic
nominee for the State Assembly. Ms. Zacarias completed her general education at Allan
Hancock College, graduated with an accounting degree from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo,
and received a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School
in 2006, which she attended as a Presidential Scholar Fellow.
Tim Bennett, representative for the southeast area of Santa Maria, was elected to
a four-year term in November 2004. Mr. Bennett has been a union electrician since
1981 and became a business representative for the International Brotherhood of Electrical
Workers (IBEW) local union 413 in 2001. Prior to becoming an electrician he was a
professional musician. He attended Santa Maria schools, including Santa Maria High
School, before completing the electrical apprenticeship training program offered through
Allan Hancock College. He has taught in the apprenticeship program off and on since
1998. Bennett is a member of the Elks and Eagles organizations.
Larry Lahr, president of the Allan Hancock Joint Community College District Board
of Trustees, has represented the Santa Maria Valley since he was elected to his first
four-year term in 1994. He has served as president of the board of trustees in 2000-01
and 2006-07 and as vice president in 1998-99, 2004-05 and 2011-12. He is president
of Rincon Corp., a Central Coast company providing real estate and consulting services
to agricultural clientele. He has served on the board of directors for Medco, a publicly
owned pharmaceutical benefits manager based in New Jersey, Integrated Composites,
Inc., a Marina, California company specializing in advanced composite materials, and
Primus Labs based in Santa Maria, a food safety company. He has also served on the
board for numerous non-profit groups, and currently serves on the WebMD Health Foundation
board. He attended Allan Hancock College before earning a bachelor's degree at Cal
Poly, San Luis Obispo, in agricultural business management.
Greg Pensa, vice president of the Allan Hancock Joint Community College District Board
of Trustees, was elected in November 2010 for a four-year term, represents Area 5,
which includes the Santa Ynez Valley and northern Lompoc Valley. Mr. Pensa is the
Economic Development/Asset Development Manager for Chumash Casino. From 1976-2008,
he owned and operated three service stations in the Santa Ynez Valley. He is a 30+
year Rotarian, including positions as past president and Paul Harris Fellow. He is
also the past president of The Valley Foundation, on the board of the Solvang Friendship
House and is a founding member and current treasurer of the Indigenous Development
Coordinators, a philanthropic group working with the needy in the Philippines. Mr.
Pensa has been the voice of Santa Ynez Valley High School Football since 1983. His
past service includes serving on the Allan Hancock College Foundation from 2001 to
2010, a trustee for the Solvang School District from 1988-1998, and past president
of the Buellton Business Association, and the Valley Haven Senior Day Care. He was
selected as Volunteer of the Year in 2004 for Education by The Valley Foundation.
Mr. Pensa earned an associate degree in business management from Allan Hancock College
and a bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications & film from San Diego State University.