Dean of Career Technical Education Rocky Cifone was appointed to deanship position four months ago, but leadership roles in education are not new to him.
In college, Cifone studied pre-law, planning on becoming a lawyer and entering politics.
When he was assigned to teach fundamentals of speech at Palomar College, he shifted gears and dedicated himself to education.
“I can really see the positive effect that community colleges especially have on students,” Cifone said. “I can see that first hand. I don’t know if I’d have received that kind of gratification if I had been in a law profession.”
Cifone said Citrus prepares students for the workforce. He hopes to work closely with his faculty members to set new goals for the department.
“I’m here to support those programs and make sure they have all the resources they need to be successful,” Cifone said.
Though he is new at Citrus, Cifone said he has a positive opinion of the work and effort being done by staff and faculty.
“Citrus is an excellent place,” Cifone said. “I have some incredible colleagues, and if I were a student, I’d say that Citrus would be an incredible place to come to school.”
Cifone was the dean of business engineering and technology at Pasadena City College for three years. He was also the dean of business science and economic & workforce development at Saddleback College for about 13 years.
Working as an administrator or instructor for about 29 years in community colleges, Cifone said he loves the idea and mission behind them.
What he particularly enjoys about Citrus College are the class sizes.
“I find that being at Citrus College and being in a medium-sized college helps us to really focus on students a lot better,” Cifone said. “If you’re in higher education and you’re truly dedicated to helping students succeed, community colleges are the best bet.”
Cifone has a doctorate in higher education/educational leadership from the University of Southern California, and a bachelor’s and master’s in political science/history and speech communication from San Diego State.
Cifone said he enjoys traveling with his family and trying new things.
“We enjoy meeting new people and interacting with new cultures,” Cifone said. “Educating ourselves on history, sports, traveling around the world exposes ourselves a lot more to the kinds of things we enjoy.”
Rocky Cifone particularly enjoys Italian and Mexican food, having already traveled to those two countries.
