Former Seattle Public Schools (SPS) superintendent Brent Jones has been named interim president of Seattle Central College, one of the three main colleges in the Seattle Colleges district. The public two-year system, which also includes North Seattle and South Seattle, offers career education, retraining programs, and transfer preparation for universities. Seattle Central College, located in the heart of the city, is known for its arts, humanities, and career training programs.
Jones’s six-month appointment begins Monday, the college chancellor announced Wednesday. He will serve while the administration launches a nationwide search for a permanent president, planned to start in May with the goal of finding a candidate by September.
Jones, who previously served as vice chancellor and chief human resources officer for the Seattle Colleges district, will take the “baton” from outgoing interim president Chanté Rikansër, who moved to Olympic College. In his statement, the new interim leader emphasized that he will focus on clarity and transparency in his work, given the current budget situation and political climate.
In his new role, Jones will oversee not only the college’s main Broadway campus but also other instructional sites, including the Woodworking Technologies Center in the historic Central District. For much of the 20th century, that neighborhood was the cultural and social center of Seattle’s African American community. The future of the unique training center, which prepares carpenters and shipbuilders, became a concern for students and staff after a March proposal to sell its building to reduce the budget shortfall. The worry centers on the risk of losing an important educational resource for the local community and its unique job programs, especially amid neighborhood gentrification and a broader trend of displacing historically significant institutions.
This is not Jones’s first experience in an interim leadership role. In 2021 he began serving as interim superintendent of Seattle schools, and in March 2022 he was confirmed in that position permanently. He led the state’s largest school district, covering all grade levels, through September 2025, although he had been on medical leave since May of that year.
Chancellor Rosie Rimando-Chareunsap and a college spokesperson praised Jones’s administrative experience and deep understanding of local context. They noted his “proven success” leading the school system’s pandemic recovery as well as his skills in community engagement and partnership building.
Based on: Seattle Central College taps former SPS official for interim president