Former Huntington Beach mayor appointed to community college board
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Kim Carr has been involved with the Coast Community College District for years.
When she was an undergraduate, she went to Orange Coast College and Golden West College part-time to supplement her education at Cal State Fullerton.
Carr’s daughter Rachel, currently a senior at UC Berkeley, graduated from OCC a couple of years ago.
Carr, a former Huntington Beach mayor, now has an opportunity to lead the district on an administrative level. She was sworn in as a Coast Community College District trustee during the district’s board meeting on Wednesday night.
She was appointed to replace Lorraine Prinsky in representing Area 3, which encompasses Huntington Beach and Sunset Beach along with small portions of Westminster and Midway City. Prinsky retired from the board after 17 years of service.
“Dr. Prinsky was one of the first supporters of me when I started my career,” said the 55-year-old Carr. “At a time when I really didn’t have a whole lot of confidence in myself in running for office, she was really right there from day one. I just think it’s super-fitting and appropriate that now I can follow in her footsteps. She’s left very big shoes to fill. She’s been a champion for Coast, and I hope to emulate everything that she’s done.”
Carr served one term on the Huntington Beach City Council, serving as the city’s mayor in 2021. Following an unsuccessful run for the state Senate in 2022, she has been working for the past three years as deputy district director for state Sen. Catherine Blakespear, whose District 38 encompasses parts of southern Orange County and northern San Diego County.
“It’s really given me a different perspective on the community colleges and all of our state agencies, as well as my time being on the council,” Carr said. “I feel like this is a really nice fit.”
Carr has served on the Coast Community College District Foundation, and also volunteers as a board member for the Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center and the Bolsa Chica Land Trust.
The Coast Community College District board held a special meeting on Feb. 23 where it interviewed three candidates to replace Prinsky, including Shana Jenkins and Michael Elliott, before voting to appoint Carr.
The appointment is provisional, meaning Carr will have to run to keep the seat in November.
“Kim is going to be phenomenal,” Coast Community College District Board President Elizabeth Dorn Parker said. “We’re so grateful that she chose to continue her public service in this leadership capacity ... when I was appointed [to the board] in 2022, I was the first new board member in like 14 years. This continues an evolution of the board having new voices and new opportunities.”
Parker added that Carr’s knowledge of government and political issues will benefit the panel.
“We need a lot of help with our community college politics, like making sure students get their fair financial aid, making sure that we have opportunities to expand our programs that the community needs,” Parker said. “She is so well-versed in all of that.”
Carr was sworn in at Wednesday’s meeting by Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley.
