Interim President Steve Watkin's Biography

In March 2023, Steve Watkin was appointed Interim President of Bakersfield College by the Kern Community College District Board of Trustees. Prior to this appointment, he served as the Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management at the Kern Community College District office and Executive Director of Outreach for BC where he built one of the largest dual and concurrent enrollment programs in the nation, with more than 18,000 students enrolled in BC’s Early College program as of 2022.

Under Steve Watkin’s leadership, BC built robust partnerships with its area high schools, which resulted in a 44 percent increase in the number of students enrolling at the college during his tenure. His proactive approach to outreach helped BC become one of the only community colleges in California to return enrollment back above pre-pandemic levels, while colleges throughout the system were reporting enrollment drops at the same time.

Steve Watkin has a Master’s Degree in Education and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Fresno Pacific University. In addition to his service at BC and Kern CCD, Watkin is a pastor at the Church of God in Christ in Arvin, California, where he has served for the past 11 years. He has been married to his wife Kimberly for 34 years and enjoys spending time with his six children and 11 grandchildren.