Lee Lambert is slated to be the next chancellor of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District, with the district's governing board set to take a formal vote on the hire at a June 12 meeting.

Lambert will replace Judy Miner, who has led the district for the past eight years and plans to retire on Sept. 5. The plan is for Lambert — who is currently the chancellor of Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona — to start Aug. 1 and overlap with Miner, the district announced in a May 23 press release.

“I am so grateful to know that I am leaving Foothill-De Anza in good hands,” Miner said in the press release. “His diverse lived experiences have shaped him into a person of great emotional intelligence: He is a U.S. Army veteran, an educator devoted to equitable access and completion, and an administrator well versed in the complexities of community college operations. Students, employees, and community members will find in him a champion who leads with head and heart.”

Lambert has led Pima Community College since 2013. He previously worked for eight years as the president of Shoreline Community College in Washington, and before that he was the vice president for human resources and legal affairs at the school, according to Foothill-De Anza's press release.

“I am honored to have been selected by the Board of Trustees to be the next chancellor,” Lambert said in the announcement. “The district's commitment to student success and educational excellence driven by an equity agenda and guided by a set of core values rooted in integrity, inclusion care for students' well-being, and sustainability aligns with my personal and professional values.”

Lambert was born in Seoul, South Korea to a father of mixed African American heritage and a mother who is South Korean, according to the announcement. He grew up on three continents and was the first in his family to attend college directly out of high school.

Feeling unsure that he belonged in college, he left after a year and enlisted in the U.S. Army, according to the statement. Following his military service, he reenrolled in school. Lambert ultimately earned a bachelor's degree in liberal arts from The Evergreen State College and a law degree from Seattle University.

Lambert was one of four finalists for the chancellor position who were announced last month. The district held public forums with each candidate that were available in person and online.

Once formally hired, Lambert's annual salary will be $448,047.12 with a contract running through June 2024, the release said.