Marvin Martinez was appointed the Chancellor of the Rancho Santiago Community College District (RSCCD) in July 2019. As Chancellor of one of the largest community college districts in the state of California, Mr. Martinez oversees a district that covers one quarter of the land area of Orange County, registers an annual enrollment of nearly 120,000 students through its credit and non-credit programs, and is one of the largest employers in the region with more than 3,000 employees. RSCCD has eight major facilities locations, including the main college campuses of Santa Ana College and Santiago Canyon College.
In a career that spans decades in the California community college system where he has been dedicated to ensuring success for community college students, Mr. Martinez previously served as President of East Los Angeles College where under his leadership the number of transfers to the UC and CSU system rose dramatically and, according to Hispanic Outlook on Education magazine, the college ranked #1 in California for community college degrees and certificates granted to Hispanic students in 2017. He also served as President of Los Angeles Harbor College, Provost of Santa Monica College and Dean of Business and Industry at Cerritos College.
Mr. Martinez served as a member of the board of the Chief Executive Officers for California Community Colleges (CEOCCC) and a member of the College Board's Community College Advisory Panel. In 2025 the College Board appointed Chancellor Martinez to its Board of Trustees as a National Trustee, a distinction reserved for visionary leaders who bring invaluable experience and perspectives from schools, districts and universities across the county. He also serves on the Cal State Fullerton Ed.D. Program Executive Council.
Chancellor Martinez, a native of El Salvador, immigrated to Brooklyn, New York and then moved to Long Beach, California where he graduated from Long Beach Wilson High. Martinez earned a Master's Degree in Urban Planning and a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of California, Los Angeles.
January 2026
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