Amid contentious salary negotiations with Fresno- and Madera-area junior college faculty members, threats of a strike, and claims of a “corrosive culture” on campuses, the State Center Community College District announced it was turning to a former community college chancellor from Arkansas with a track record of connecting with staff and donors.

Christine Holt-McDonald was introduced Thursday as the new chancellor of the State Center Community College District, the public community college district for Fresno and Madera counties.

Holt-McDonald, who officially takes on her new role Jan. 1, has actually been SCCCD’s deputy chancellor since the summer of 2025.

But before joining SCCCD, Holt-McDonald served as chancellor of the University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana, where her highlighted achievements include instituting more equitable pay for staff, as well as securing the largest endowed donor gift in the institution’s history.

“In my current role as deputy chancellor, in the last 15 or 16 months of my tenure, I have become keenly aware of the historic history and contemporary challenges of the district,” Holt-McDonald said. “And since beginning my tenure, I have been afforded the privilege of working with many, many constituency groups and stakeholders.

“And the one thing that is evident to me is there is a strong, strong commitment to our mission and there is a need for reconciliation to restore trust. So I have diligently worked to be accessible and engage in active listening to discuss issues and work together to find amicable solutions.”

Other Candidates

Other finalists for SCCCD chancellor were Alan Davis and Mark Sanchez, who later removed his name from consideration.

Davis is an educator and administrator who spent much of his career in Canadian higher education. Sanchez has 27 years of community college leadership and teaching experience, including as superintendent at Southwestern College.

Holt-McDonald brings more than 30 years of experience in higher education, public service, and the legal profession.

Holt-McDonald, in her current role with SCCCD, led major district functions, including educational services and institutional effectiveness, finance and administration, human resources, operations, and information systems. She also worked closely with college and district leaders and helped advance strategic priorities focused on student success, institutional effectiveness, workforce development, fiscal stewardship, and organizational excellence, according to her SCCCD bio.

Replacing Goldsmith

Holt-McDonald will replace Chancellor Carole Goldsmith, who announced her retirement in November 2025, just before the SCCCD faculty union issued a unanimous vote of no confidence in her.

Members of the State Center Federation of Teachers claimed there was a culture of retaliation, silencing of critics, and nepotism under Goldsmith’s leadership.

However, the district enjoyed some of its biggest expansion and fundraising efforts under her watch. Goldsmith previously said SCCCD had some of its highest enrollment and transfer rates during her tenure.

Dealing With Negotiations, Potential Strike

Nonetheless, negotiations with the State Center Federation of Teachers union have been ongoing since 2024, with the most recent contract having expired in June 2025.

In August, the union overwhelmingly authorized a strike for the first time in its history.

Faculty and staff have yet to actually strike. But they have held a handful of protests and demonstrations outside SCCCD’s downtown office to voice their concerns about campus conditions and displeasure with negotiations.

Holt-McDonald is expected to earn an annual salary of $365,000, local media reported.

“It’s important not to look in the rear view mirror, but to look forward and to look forward to the opportunities that we have ahead of us,” Holt-McDonald said. “I say all that to say that it’s important to come to the table and work with our employees to be collaborative, to listen, to make sure that we’re aligning our mission vision and values. …

“It’s important to me that we can have disagreements, (but) it’s how we move forward with those disagreements … and being willing to work together and owning that we need to move forward.”