We are thrilled to have Dr. James Limbaugh and West Los Angeles College as LAEDC members!
West Los Angeles College is an accredited California Community College offering paths to university transfer, career education and courses for professional and personal growth. It occupies 70 park-like acres overlooking Culver City, Marina Del Rey and Greater West Los Angeles.
West Los Angeles College was named an “Aspen Prize Top 150” institution for 2023, signifying its place in the top 10% of community colleges nationally for its success rates in retention and graduation of students and, in particular, those students representing marginalized groups.
West Los Angeles College is also the home of the California Center for Climate Change Education, the only such center in the State, focusing on curricula, student learning experiences, workforce development, and community outreach—all couched within a commitment to the concept of climate change as an issue of social justice. Additionally, WLAC is the only community college in the State offering an associate’s degree in Climate Change Studies.
Dr. James Limbaugh began his tenure as the ninth president of West Los Angeles College on October 1, 2016 and brings to the position the unique vantage point of having served in executive leadership positions at both two-year and four-year institutions.
Prior to assuming the presidency of West Los Angeles College, Dr. Limbaugh served as the interim president of Oxnard College and as Chancellor of Montana State University-Northern (MSUN)—a dual-mission university in north-central Montana.
Dr. Limbaugh and his wife, Trish, established the College’s Food Pantry and West Wardrobe, designed to help students with food insecurities and to provide clothing for interviews and daily wear.
“My involvement with LAEDC affords me an unparalleled opportunity to interface with my colleagues in business and industry about Los Angeles County’s workforce needs and how my college, as well as the other eighteen community colleges in our region, can serve and support employer requirements for a well-trained workforce. Conversely, our conversations will broaden awareness of the capabilities of the LA community college system to contribute to the County’s economic development initiatives.”
Membership with the LAEDC directly supports our mission. It allows you to partner with like-minded organizations and an expert team of economic development professionals and economists to promote innovation around economic and workforce development, small business assistance, and Los Angeles’ leading and emerging industry clusters.