Lori Gaskin leaves LTCC for South Bay

6/09 tahoe mt. news

By Kathryn Reed

For the past year, Lori Gaskin has been the consummate professional. That’s not to say she wasn’t the previous 16 years. It’s just that the vice president of academic affairs had to work for the man whose job she wanted as well as for the board that denied her that opportunity.
President can now be inserted before her name. Gaskin takes over the helm of West Valley College in Saratoga on Aug 3. Her last day at Lake Tahoe Community College is June 19.
The Silicon Valley school, with 12,000 students, is about four times larger than LTCC.
“They have a lot of strong programs … a lot of innovation, vibrancy,” Gaskin said. “It will be a fun place to work. It seems along the path of life this is the next right step.”
The move will mean living closer to her son, who will be a senior at Stanford University in the fall. It also means a temporary separation from her husband, David, who will keep his job with the state of Nevada.
“I have the best family in the world. They understand the need for me to grow and pursue professional opportunities,” Gaskin said.
She foresees the day when they sell their Tahoe house. Gaskin already knows she won’t miss the snow. It’s the people she expects to miss the most.
Instead of taking credit for accomplishments during her 17-year tenure at LTCC, Gaskin said achievements like the growth in programs is to be shared with the entire institution.
Taking over for her will be Susan Middleton who is dean of student services. Middleton plans to retire at the end of next school year. This gives the college a year to figure out if it can live without the dean position, having those duties absorbed by others with a cost savings of more than $100,000.