Otto W.K. Lee, Ed.D.
Public Trustee | Fielding Graduate University
Wilmington, CA, UNITED STATES
President of Los Angeles Harbor College, a comprehensive institution for transfer, career technical education, and community education
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Biography
Otto W.K. Lee, EdD is President of Los Angeles Harbor College, a comprehensive institution serving nearly 11,000 students with programs for transfer, career technical education, and community education. Under Dr. Lee’s leadership the college has implemented many student success initiatives resulting in a significant increase in the number of certificates and degrees awarded. Prior to this position, Dr. Lee served as Vice Chancellor for Instructional Services and Planning at the San Diego Community College District. He provided
leadership for instructional programs; strategic planning; online education; workforce and economic development; and military educational programs of the district. Previously, he served as the Dean of the School of Business, Computer Studies and Technologies at San Diego Mesa College. Prior to his dean assignment, Dr. Lee was the Founding Director of the eBusiness Institute at Temple University. Otto Lee has also taught engineering and business courses at the community college and university levels.
Dr. Lee holds a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from New York University; an M.S. in Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); an M.B.A. from Pepperdine University; and an Ed.D. in educational leadership and change from Fielding Graduate University.
Dr. Lee is actively engaged with numerous community and professional organizations. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of Fielding Graduate University. He also serves as a director of the National Asian/Pacific Islander Council (an affiliate of the American Association of Community Colleges), the Federal Employees Scholarship Foundation, the MIT Alumni Club, and Advisory Board of the Center for Innovation in STEM Education at California State University – Dominguez Hills. Additionally, Dr. Lee was a member of the Community College League of California’s Commission on the Future.
Originally from Hong Kong, Dr. Lee is the first in his family to attend and graduate from college. In 2009, Dr. Lee was recipient of the Asian Heritage Award for Educational Leadership. In 2014, Dr. Lee received the Asian Pacific Americans in Higher Education (APAHE) President's Award in recognition of his contributions to the field of higher education.
Industry Expertise (2)
Education/Learning
Corporate Leadership
Areas of Expertise (3)
Higher Education Administration
Strategic Planning
Student Development
Education (4)
Fielding Graduate University: EdD, Educational Leadership
Pepperdine University: MBA, Business Administration
Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MS, Astronautics
New York University: BS, Aerospace Engineering
Media Appearances (2)
New LAHC president brings vast experience, encourages growth
Los Angeles Harbor College online
2014-09-30
Dr. Otto W.K. Lee, the new president of Harbor College, recently met with The Harbor Tides, where he shared a bit about himself and talked about his plans for the future of the campus. Born in Hong Kong, Dr. Lee immigrated to the United States at a very young age. English is his second language, and his parents worked hard at multiple jobs so that he could become the first in his family to graduate from college. Dr. Lee also worked while attending school...
Board approves three new L.A. community college presidents
Los Angeles Times online
2014-06-26
On Wednesday, the board voted unanimously to name Linda D. Rose as the new president of Los Angeles Southwest College, Otto W.K. Lee as president of Los Angeles Harbor College, and Erika A. Endrijonas as head of Los Angeles Valley College...
Articles (1)
The 'innovator's dilemma' and the experience of community college leaders: A phenomenological inquiry
Fielding Graduate University
2009 Organizational leaders have heard the call to innovate unceasingly over the past several decades (Kanter, 1983), but whatever the field, the decisions related to innovation are not simple. They are complex, ambiguous, and paradoxical such that the experience has been described by one researcher, Clayton Christensen, as the "Innovator's Dilemma" (Christensen, 1997). In community colleges, innovation choices are further complicated by academic traditions, staff resistance, and structural barriers...
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