Jeff DeFranco

Jeff DeFranco became Lake Tahoe Community College’s fifth superintendent/president in January 2017. Previously, he served as the college’s vice president of administrative services for nearly five years. Jeff has worked in multiple educational settings, including K-12, community college, and four-year institutions. Before coming to Lake Tahoe, Jeff worked for the Springfield School District in Oregon for nine years as a district administrator.

As LTCC’s president, Jeff oversaw the institution’s full reaffirmation of its accreditation in fall 2017. He led the construction and opening of the Lisa Maloff University Center on campus and secured four-year university partners to offer advanced degrees on Lake Tahoe’s South Shore for the first time. With Jeff’s leadership, LTCC implemented the nation’s only bi-state College Promise program, providing free tuition to all eligible Tahoe Basin residents on both sides of the California-Nevada border. The Lake Tahoe College Promise program, which focuses on both student access and completion, recently expanded from a one-year to a three-year program that includes tuition waivers, bookstore credits, dedicated counseling, and other student supports. During Jeff’s time as president, LTCC has experienced a 15 percent enrollment boom through innovative program expansion, including dual enrollment, an incarcerated student program, expanded distance education offerings, and the Lake Tahoe College Promise.

Jeff is currently a doctoral candidate for a Ph.D. in global leadership and change from Pepperdine University. He earned his bachelor’s from California State University, Chico, and his master's in educational leadership with an emphasis in higher education administration from the University of Oregon. He also received a professional certificate from Stanford University in strategic decision and risk anagement. Jeff is an author, consultant, and presenter specializing in the fields of leadership, emotional intelligence, and change management. Jeff also volunteers for TEDx South Lake Tahoe as both the speaker curator and lead organizer.