Photos courtesy of Southwestern College
By Chantelle Gonzalez
Southwestern College President Mark Sanchez is set to retire in June 2027, concluding a title defined by expanding academic opportunity, trust, and strengthening Southwestern’s connection to the South County community he once called home as a student.
“My greatest accomplishment is probably being able to bring people together and get us all focused,” Sanchez said. “For the most part, on the mission and moving in the same direction. I feel like the college is a much more healthier organizational culture than it was when I arrived here, and so I think that’s a huge victory.”
Zaneta Encarnacion, Chief of Staff, said Sanchez’s leadership resonated deeply because he was once a Southwestern College student himself.
“He chose Southwestern, he didn’t start here as a backup,” Encarnacion said. “The inspiration of having somebody come home who was a student and what that means not just to our students but to our employees and to our community has been really exciting to see.”
Encarnacion said Sanchez’s community perspective shaped his leadership from the start. His ability to inspire both the campus and regional partners helped elevate Southwestern’s visibility, especially as South County gained attention for binational initiatives, Bayfront development, and university‑level planning.
Sanchez returned to lead his alma mater in 2020 during the tail end of the COVID‑19 pandemic, a period Encarnacion described as one of the institution’s most complex challenges.
“He got hired in the tail end of COVID,” she said. “Figuring out how to bring everyone back — employees and students — was a huge task.”
Under his leadership, the college completed several long‑planned construction projects, including new academic buildings such as the Student Union. Sanchez also launched new programs, such as the Options Middle College High School partnership, which allows students in grades 9-12 to take college courses.
Sanchez said his decisions were guided by one principle: removing barriers for students.
“All of the decisions that I make and our leadership team makes are really from a perspective of trying to make it as seamless and as clear as possible for students,” he said. “It’s even better when I see our students walk across the stage on graduation day, when they get their certificates, because then they’ve completed the mission that they’ve set for themselves here at Southwestern.”
Associated Student Organization President Gian Marco Zuno said Sanchez’s retirement brings mixed emotions.
“It’s a multitude of feelings,” Zuno said. “He’s been such an important part of the Southwestern College community. He championed a lot of the issues I’ve fought for as a student and now as a student leader.”
Zuno said Sanchez was consistently approachable to student concerns and played a key role in legislative advocacy, including work on AB 664 — a bill that helped pave the way for California community colleges to offer up to six bachelor’s degrees.
“He was always open in communication and offered guidance whenever we needed,” Zuno said. “Working with him was never a struggle; it was open.”
Zuno also credited Sanchez for ensuring the new Student Union building prioritized student groups and learning communities by reallocating space originally planned for a bookstore.
“If we are truly the student union, we’re truly the building for students,” Zuno said. “Let’s try to accommodate all of our communities as much as we can.”
Sanchez said he does not expect to be remembered in any particular way, encouraging people instead to “look at the data before I arrived and look at it after.” He pointed to enrollment and financial aid distribution completed as indicators of the college’s progress.
In 2019, annual headcount enrollment was 28,397 students, and the college awarded $47,270,856 in financial aid. By 2025, headcount rose to 32,420 students, and financial aid to $78,281,374, a $31.0 million increase.
He hopes the next president continues to focus on mission, students, and community, and he offered advice.
“Do things the right way,” he said. “Create seamless pathways for opportunities for our students, while also taking care of our workforce.”
Though unsure where he will live after retiring, Sanchez said Southwestern will always be home.
“When I’m in town, I certainly want to be a supporter of the college,” he said. “It was home for me for a very long time.”
Before leaving, Sanchez offered one message to students:
“Believe that amazing things are possible. Believe in yourself, and then do the work to get to that point that you’ve set for yourself, and go do it. Believe that you can do it because you can.”
