MERIDITH RANDALL
PRESIDENT
GOLDEN WEST COLLEGE
WHY: Last year appointed president of the Huntington Beach-based community college, which serves 12K enrollees each semester, including about 2.9K full-time students. Served as interim president for nearly a year prior.
IN THE NEWS: Opened second application window for the spring 2026 cohort for its nursing school in response to the shortage of registered nurses in California. Made possible by $3.5M grant from a private donor last fall.
NOTABLE: Offers two types of tuition-free classes, including non-credit courses geared toward trade jobs in automotive, security and elderly care industries, as well as dual enrollment courses for high school students.
QUOTABLE: “You know the saying: If you love what you do, you never work a day in your life, and I’ve worked very few days in my life.”
