Mojdeh Mehdizadeh is retiring as chancellor of the Contra Costa Community College District, with her final day on the job set for Dec. 30, 2026, after nearly 33 years working for the district she first joined in 1994. Her departure will hand the district new leadership for the fourth time in the past decade, closing out a tenure of more than four years at the top that included a rocky stretch before she took permanent hold of the chancellor's office.
A Long Climb to the Top Job
The governing board formally accepted Mehdizadeh's retirement resignation and approved her retirement, according to Danville San Ramon. Mehdizadeh, a Diablo Valley College alumna, stepped into the interim chancellor role in early 2022 and held it for more than a year before the board named her the district's 10th permanent chancellor in late 2023. She plans to take time off before her retirement officially begins.
Mehdizadeh’s career has spanned teaching and senior administration across the district: she began as an adjunct speech communications instructor at Diablo Valley College, later became president of Contra Costa College and executive vice chancellor for education and technology. In that executive role, she oversaw work across the district’s colleges in areas including student services, workforce development, distance education and grants, according to the district’s Chancellor’s Office biography.
Her rise to the permanent post came only after turmoil at the top of the district. Former chancellor Bryan Reece resigned from the position, prompting the board to rescind his contract award, the outlet reports. District administrators had also filed litigation alleging retaliation and wrongful termination, a dispute the governing board resolved in March 2022 with a $1.5 million settlement, per the same account.
Investigation Into Workplace Culture
During her time in office, Mehdizadeh released the findings and full report of an independent investigation that examined allegations of a retaliatory quid pro quo work culture within the district, the outlet notes. The report's release came as Mehdizadeh worked to steady an administration that had already weathered a leadership shake-up and a costly legal settlement in the years just before her permanent appointment.
Ochoa Steps In as Interim Chancellor
To fill the gap, the board approved Micaela Ochoa's appointment as interim chancellor along with her contract on Sept. 9, 2026. Ochoa currently serves as the district's executive vice chancellor of administrative services and joined Contra Costa Community College District in 2022 after previously working as an administrator with the San Mateo County Community College District. She also has ties to K-12 education, having served as a Pleasanton Unified School District administrator and as that district's interim superintendent in 2017, according to the report.
Ochoa's interim contract begins Dec. 1, 2026, creating a one-month overlap with Mehdizadeh before her Dec. 30 departure. The agreement runs through the middle of summer 2027 and can be extended by mutual agreement, the outlet reports. It provides $393,432 in total salary for the eight-month term, along with a car allowance, covered travel expenses and a necessary expense stipend.
What Comes Next for the District
The leadership change comes as the district serves a broad and changing region. Its 2025-30 strategic plan says 4CD operates three colleges on five campuses and serves nearly 50,000 students annually across a service area of more than 1.16 million people. The plan projects Contra Costa County’s population will age through 2033, with fewer residents under 18 and a gradual decline in the traditional high-school-graduate pipeline, sharpening the district’s need to reach adult learners, the district’s strategic plan says.
Board member Diana Honig said the board plans to assemble a permanent chancellor search committee during the current semester, with formal recruitment for a permanent chancellor set to begin in spring 2027. Honig said the board has absolute confidence in Ochoa and the leadership team, adding that Ochoa's experience positions her to provide stability and continuity during the transition, per the outlet's report.
The district has shared news of the chancellor transition with staff and college communities, though it has not issued a public press release or formal announcement about the change, according to Danville San Ramon. The outlet's report credits LMC Experience with first reporting the transition on Sept. 22.
