Candidate: Jeff Stephenson

Jeff Stephenson

Dr. Jeff Stephenson has worked for more than 25 years in higher education and currently serves as the Vice President of Student Services at American River College. He began his career in higher education as a faculty member at Carl Sandburg College in Galesburg, Illinois. Due to his significant body of knowledge in the field of Funeral Service Education, American River College (ARC) was fortunate that Jeff joined the faculty to become the founding faculty member and Program Coordinator of ARC’s FSE Program twenty years ago. During his tenure at ARC, Dr. Stephenson has also served Dean of Counseling and Transfer Services, Interim Dean of Equity Programs and Pathways, and as the Associate Vice President of Student Services.

Before moving into administration, Dr. Stephenson was a tenured faculty member where he held faculty leadership positions on the Academic Senate and Chair of the Curriculum Committee. Dr. Stephenson has also served as a member for the Institutional Effectiveness Partnership Initiative (IEPI) and on numerous peer review teams for the Accrediting Commission for Colleges and Junior Colleges (ACCJC).

Dr. Stephenson has been the administrative lead for the Guided Pathways work starting in 2016, has been the principle on multiple federal grants including the Strengthening Institutions (Title III) and the Asian American, Native American, Pacific Islander-Service Institutions (AANAPISI) grants, as well as the administrative lead for the Student Equity and Achievement Program (SEAP). He has been the fiscal lead for the statewide CCC LGBTQIA+ Summit and serves as the Region 2 Representative and Treasurer for the Chief Student Services Officers Association.

Dr. Stephenson holds Associates and Bachelor’s Degrees in Mortuary Science from the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science, a Master’s Degree in Education from Western Illinois University, and a Doctorate in Leadership for Higher Education from Capella University.