New Vice Chancellor Joins Foothill-De Anza District

Dorene Novotny has joined the Foothill-De Anza Community College District as vice chancellor of human resources and equal opportunity. She has 25 years experience in human resources administration, most recently at Tacoma Community College, where she was associate vice president for human resources for the past eight years.

"We are delighted to welcome Dorene Novotny to the Foothill-De Anza family,'' said Chancellor Martha Kanter. "She brings to our district a wealth of knowledge about human resources and diversity leadership. She was widely known throughout the state of Washington for her work on behalf of community colleges.''

Novotny said she is impressed by the district's commitment to student success and its close connections to the community. "I welcome the opportunity to be part of such an exciting district," she said.

Novotny served as a member of the leadership team at Tacoma Community College and was a respected member of the Washington State Human Resource Management Commission. In 2005, she received the Excellence in Human Resource Management Award for the Northwest Region given by the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources, a professional association of colleges and universities throughout the United States.

"Novotny is known for her professional philosophy of creative problem solving" and as "a pioneer for change and creativity in the realm of diversity recruitment and retention,'' the association said in announcing the award.

Novotny succeeds Jane Enright, who held the vice chancellor position for 13 years. She was selected after a nationwide search and began work February 11.Novotny also has worked in HR management positions for Tacoma Pierce County Health Department, the University of Missouri-Columbia, Missouri Department of Revenue and the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

She has completed coursework for a master's degree in industrial and organizational psychology from Western Kentucky University, holds a bachelor's degree from Northeast Missouri State College and an associate's degree from Kirkwood Community College in Iowa. She holds certifications in negotiations from Harvard University, in mediation and conflict resolution from the Pierce County Center for Dispute Resolution, and in employee-relations law from the Institute for Applied Management and Law.

Posted Feb. 13, 2008