Dean of Instruction Search

Dr. Brian Richards is a higher education leader and educator whose work centers on helping students succeed and supporting the people who teach and serve them. His experience includes academic leadership, career education, student services, and campus operations across career-focused, military-serving, and international learning environments.

As Director of Education at Central Coast College, Dr. Richards led program directors and more than 40 faculty serving over 600 students. He helped launch healthcare programs in surgical technology, pharmacy technology, sterile processing, and dental assisting. He also led the college's five-year ACCET reaccreditation, which resulted in nine strengths and no weaknesses. His work connected program development with faculty support, student progress monitoring, and coordinated interventions to help students stay on track.

Dr. Richards also served as Vice President of Student Operations and Success at California Miramar University, overseeing Student Services, the Registrar, IT, and Career Services. Earlier, he served as Campus Director and Senior Academic Advisor at Columbia College's Naval Air Station Lemoore location, supporting military-connected and working adult students.

He currently teaches at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the University of Maine at Presque Isle, and National University, bringing practical leadership and organizational experience into the classroom. He holds a Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership and Learning from Aspen University.

Dr. Richards' approach to leadership emphasizes listening, coaching, clear expectations, and follow-through. He values collaboration with faculty and staff to strengthen academic quality, remove barriers to completion, and connect education with meaningful opportunities for students.

Dr. Jamie Martin is a proud community college graduate whose career reflects a commitment to expanding educational opportunity and helping students achieve their academic and career goals. She currently serves as Interim Dean of Instruction at Scottsdale Community College, overseeing occupational programs and bringing more than 20 years of experience in public education as a teacher, faculty member, and administrator.

Dr. Martin began her career teaching high school English and Language Arts in Austin, Texas, before moving into higher education in Arizona. She taught as an adjunct English instructor at Estrella Mountain Community College and Phoenix College before becoming a full-time faculty member at Phoenix College in 2013. Her subsequent leadership roles included Director of Developmental Education at Phoenix College, Interim Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Paradise Valley Community College, and Dean of Instruction for STEM and Business/IT at Lower Columbia College in Washington.

Since joining SCC in 2024, Dr. Martin has worked collaboratively to strengthen occupational programs, expand career-connected learning, and align resources with student and workforce needs. Her work includes co-leading the redesign of program review, improving annual planning and workforce funding processes, strengthening Career Services, and helping bring SCC’s Equine Science Center at WestWorld to fruition. She also serves as the project administrator for SCC’s nearly $3 million Title III grant, supporting pathways from college entry through degree completion to meaningful careers.

Dr. Martin’s leadership centers on relationships, transparent communication, shared governance, and support for faculty and staff. As a community college graduate, she brings a personal understanding of the opportunities these institutions create for students and communities.

She holds an associate degree in Computer Science, a bachelor’s degree in Education with a minor in English, a master’s degree in Secondary Education with a minor in Literature, a master’s degree in School Counseling, and a Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership with an emphasis in Higher Education.

Dr. Robin Schofield, a visionary, collaborative leader in community colleges for 20 years, is the Senior Director of Faculty Development, Library, and Tutoring at the Community College of Aurora. A native Arizonan, she specializes in partnerships and programs driving college and career success. Nationally recognized for innovation, Dr. Schofield trained Colorado faculty in Experiential Learning, benefiting thousands of students. As department chair, program director, and senior director, she developed expertise in shared governance, operations, budgets, supervision, planning, curriculum, assessment, and accreditation.

At Pikes Peak State College (PPSC), Dr. Schofield directed high-impact practices implementation, improving retention, applied learning, and workforce aptitude. She developed an academic coaching program that significantly increased CTE student retention. An expert in workforce competencies, she supported CTE departments on curricular alignment, teaching strategies, credentialing, internships, and work experiences. A CTE educator, she created PPSC’s student journal Parley and, while fulltime faculty, served as Faculty Senate Vice President and was named Faculty of the Year.

Dr. Schofield created Service Learning, Global Studies, and Study Abroad programs. She led taskforces on Food and Housing, First Year Experience, and HSI initiatives, and formed partnerships with the Youth Documentary Academy, Boys and Girls Club, United Way, Feeding America, and the Hispanic Chamber, strengthening student success at PPSC.

A civic and industry leader, Schofield served on her local school board and a global nonprofit board, managed printing in a production facility, and owns a business. Fluent in Spanish, she taught in an Indigenous Teachers Program and at the Mexican Embassy through ASU. She is an AI Fellow and Data Literacy Institute alum. Her publications, presentations, and awards, including for Innovative Leadership in 2025, focus on college and career success.