Jacquelin Bell has been appointed as vice president of administrative services, filling the position left by the passing of Jerry Davis, San Diego City College President Terrence Burgess announced in an email in August.

“I’m following in the footsteps of a very admired predecessor,” Bell said.

Bell comes to City College from the University of California, Davis where she served as the chief administrative officer. Although her background is in finance, she said it was her time volunteering at Solano Community College that brought about her interest in education.

“I became enamored by the impact that community colleges can have in changing lives,” Bell said.

She served as business and administrative services manager at Merritt College in Oakland and later as the director of the Small Business Development Center of Greater Sacramento with the Los Rios Community College District.

Bell noted that one of the first things she noticed at City is that everything going on is done with “a strong emphasis on the students in every focus.”

She said that everyone she works with shares a common goal in doing what is best for the students.

Among her responsibilities as vice president of administrative services, Bell coordinates the impacts of campus construction.

She said her job is to “bridge the gap between projects managers and the campus.”

And, to ensure that changes and renovations being made will not prevent students from attending class or interrupting their learning.

“This school is clearly at the forefront of planning, budgeting, managing construction impacts, “ she said. “It’s students first.”

That idea doesn’t end with the schools construction projects. Bell speaks confidently regarding budget matters. She says she is determined to improve the school and shows no signs of concern over classes being cut.

Bell’s budget strategy includes two main points: resource development and decreasing the schools reliance on state funding. She said she plans to achieve this by leveraging the schools existing resources, seeking private donations, and by looking into other grant options.

“We’ll see what happens in Nov. with Proposition 30,” she said in reference to Governor Brown’s tax proposal.

“It is our job to be sure that bright young students can reach their full potential,” she said.