Frank Kobayashi

Dr. Frank Kobayashi currently serves as the vice president of Instruction at American River College. As the vice president of Instruction, he provides leadership to the development of the schedule of classes, enrollment management, and allocation of the instructional budget. Kobayashi oversees threessociate vice presidents, 12 deans, and over 1,000 full and part-time faculty.

In 2021, with three other Los Rios District vice presidents, Kobayashi led the Los Rios Reopening Planning Team, which was charged with outlining a detailed and specific framework and plan for reopening to the chancellor and college presidents. Kobayashi has led the college’s Guided Pathway efforts, which have resulted in the nationally recognized HomeBase model. Under his leadership, the college’s Dual Enrollment program has developed from a concept to the largest Dual Enrollment program in the Los Rios District. In 2019, Kobayashi led the development of the American River College Education Master Plan.

Prior to serving as vice president of Instruction, Kobayashi served American River College as its Associate vice president of Workforce Development and dean of the Natomas Education Center. He has also served as dean of Career Education and Workforce Development at West Valley College.

Before his service to the community college system, Kobayashi was a founding member of a Silicon Valley start-up. As vice president of Sales at www.financialaidtv.com, he built a company from an idea to a national multimedia firm.

Kobayashi is a proud product of a community college, having graduated from Santa Rosa Junior College with an associate of arts degree in Business and associates of science degree in Child Development. He has a bachelor’s in Science in Human Development from the University of California, Davis and a master’s in Education Policy and Evaluation from Stanford University. Kobayashi earned his doctorate in Education Leadership (Ed.D.) from the University of California, Davis.