Interim chancellor of Peralta Community College District resigns

Carla Walter, the interim chancellor of the Peralta Community College District, has announced her resignation from that position, the district confirmed Wednesday.

Walter was named interim chancellor last fall and was expected to remain in the position until June or until the district hired a permanent chancellor. The district is still searching for a permanent chancellor, but Walter is resigning because of “personal reasons,” said Cynthia Napoli-Abella Reiss, the president of Peralta’s Board of Trustees, in a statement.

The Peralta district is based in Oakland and includes four colleges: Laney College and Merritt College in Oakland, Berkeley City College and the College of Alameda.

Walter’s resignation, which is effective April 15, is the latest example of frequent turnover at Peralta’s top executive positions. Her predecessor, Regina Stanback Stroud, was the permanent chancellor at Peralta for just nine months before resigning amid conflicts with Peralta’s Board of Trustees.

When Peralta hires its next chancellor, that will mark the fifth chancellor the district has had in just over two years. Two of those former chancellors — Walter and Fran White — were interim chancellors.

Walter’s resignation also comes as the district is under scrutiny from the state because of fiscal instability, accreditation issues and past conflicts between trustees and top administrators.

“We are fortunate to have had a strong and committed leader at the PCCD helm during these past eight months and we are sad to have Dr. Walter depart as she has helped guide the District through the pandemic,” Reiss said in her statement Wednesday.