Orange Coast College names its new vice president of instruction after months of searching

Orange Coast College announced Thursday that Michelle Grimes-Hillman will be its newest vice president of instruction.

Grimes-Hillman will begin in her new role in January and will replace the interim vice president, Pamela Walker. Walker was hired in July to replace outgoing vice president of instruction Kevin Ballinger while college officials continued the search for his replacement following Ballinger’s retirement in June.

Ballinger was with the college for more than 30 years.

Grimes-Hillman was approved for appointment by Coast Community College District trustees on Wednesday.

“We are thrilled to welcome Michelle Grimes-Hillman to Orange Coast College,” said OCC President Angelica Suarez.

“[Grimes-Hillman] brings a wealth of experience as an equity-minded instructional leader both at the local and statewide level,” Suarez said in a statement. “Her deep roots as a former faculty member, faculty leader and instructional administrator provide her with a strong foundation to advance OCC’s mission of academic excellence and student success.”

Campus officials said that Grimes-Hillman brings with her almost two decades of teaching and faculty leadership and more than eight years of administrative experience. She comes to the Costa Mesa campus from Long Beach City College, where she is the dean of academic services and oversees curriculum, adult education, dual enrollment, guided pathways and enrollment management.

Prior to that, she taught at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut and was a local senate president and curriculum chair.

She earned her bachelor’s in general psychology and master’s in experimental psychology from Cal State Fullerton.

“I have always appreciated Orange Coast College as the premier educational beacon in Orange County,” Grimes-Hillman said in a statement. “I’m excited to continue the great work of OCC and work with faculty to promote equitable outcomes for all student groups.”

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