Sierra College Superintendent/President Willy Duncan Recognized Among Sacramento Region’s Most Admired CEOs

March 14, 2022

Leader Receives Honor from Sacramento Business Journal in 10th Year at Helm

Sierra College President/Superintendent Willy Duncan has been honored as one of the Sacramento Business Journal’s “Most Admired CEOs for 2022. Willy Duncan has led Sierra College’s 18,000 students, and 1,300 employees to new heights over 10 years of leadership. Noted accomplishments include increasing student success, working with employees to build a positive work environment that was recently recognized as a Wonderful Workplace award recipient presented by Rocklin Chamber of Commerce in 2019, and working with the community to build for the future.

“We are very proud of Willy and the impact he has made at Sierra, with our students and in the community, and as a Board of Trustees congratulate him on this recognition,” said Carol Chilton Garcia, Sierra College Board of Trustees President. “I would also like to recognize the role Willy has played in working with the Board of Trustees and the Citizen’s Bond Oversight Committee to ensure the fiscal health of the District.”Since arriving at Sierra, student success has been at the center of President Duncan’s planning and has resulted in an all-time high of more than 3,000 students earning degrees and certificates in 2019-2020.

Building for the Future

Building for the future is a long process for public institutions. Sierra College’s Rocklin campus had not been significantly updated since it was built in the 1960s. One of Duncan’s major accomplishments in the past 10 years was leading the passage of a facilities bond which created the opportunity to construct or update many buildings including a new parking garage, new instructional building, new science building, and a modernized gymnasium.

Under Duncan’s fiscal leadership and with the issuance of the second series of Measure E bonds in March 2021, the District achieved “Aaa” credit rating, placing Sierra College among the most elite community college districts in the country. This prestigious “Aaa” credit rating resulted in debt service savings of approximately $10.5 million.

Community Involvement

President Duncan is actively involved at the state level and serves on multiple committees and task forces. He is currently the chair of the statewide CEO Student Centered Funding Formula Task Force, the Community College Facility Coalition (CCFC) Board of Directors, and the Association for California Community College Administrators (ACCCA) Committee for Finance, Legislation and Advocacy. He serves on the board of the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA), the Community College League of California (CCLC) Advisory Committee on Legislation, the Placer County Economic Development Board, Valley Vision, Project Attain!, and several Chambers of Commerce. Additionally, he is the co-chair of the Greater Sacramento Economic Council’s Competitiveness Council which promotes economic growth for the region. He is also a lifelong Rotarian. Duncan was honored at a recognition dinner in Sacramento on March 9, with members of his family, the Sierra College Board of Trustees, and many Sierra College employees in attendance.

About Sierra College

Sierra College District is rising to the needs of our community. Sierra College serves 3200 square miles of Northern CA with campuses in Roseville, Rocklin, Grass Valley, and Truckee. With approximately 125 degree and certificate programs, Sierra College is ranked first in Northern California (Sacramento north) for transfers to four-year universities, offers career/technical training, and classes for upgrading job skills. Sierra graduates can be found in businesses and industries throughout the region. More information at www.sierracollege.edu