Dr. Mike Holtzclaw

College of San Mateo is pleased to welcome Dr. Mike Holtzclaw as its next vice president of instruction. Mike currently serves as the senior dean of the San Ramon Campus for Diablo Valley College. He succeeds Dr. Sandra Stefani Comerford, who will retire in January after five years as vice president of instruction. Mike will join CSM in January.

At DVC, Mike functions as the chief administrator for a branch campus of 3,000 students, overseeing instructional and student services programs, facilities and information technology. He had previously served as dean of science, engineering and mathematics at Ohlone College, where he established relationships with NASA/Ames, Lawrence Livermore and Lawrence Berkeley Labs for student internships and faculty externships. He also led a team of faculty and staff to design and equip Ohlone College’s new Science Center.

Mike began his career in higher education in 1988, serving as assistant dean of admissions at Lewis & Clark College. In 1997, he joined the faculty of Central Oregon Community College where he taught geography, serving as chair of the geography department. There, he became an instructional dean where he provided administrative oversight for science, business, aviation, culinary, and natural and industrial resources. He was also the administrator responsible for learning communities and the College’s study abroad program.

Mike has been an active community member. He served on a K-12 budget committee in Bend, Oregon, held an elected position on the High Desert Educational Service District Board, and was a planning commissioner in Bend for eight years. He has lived in seven countries, studied six languages and has visited more than 55 countries.

Mike was the first person in his family to attend college. He holds a B.A. in international affairs with a minor in Soviet and East European studies from Lewis & Clark College as well as an M.A. and Ph.D. from The Ohio State University.