Our Team

Willard Lewallen

Dr. Willard “Will” Lewallen joins the SPI Team bringing a stellar record of leadership, scholarship, accomplishment, and service as a higher education professional. He also has experience in community outreach.

Will served as the president/superintendent for the Hartnell Community College District for more than seven years before retiring in October 2019. Since then, he has been conducting executive searches and helping colleges and universities as a consultant.

His extensive education experience included positions as president of West Hills College in Coalinga, California, vice president of student services at Victor Valley College, dean at Antelope Valley College, and academic adviser at Purdue University.

At Hartnell College he helped establish the Mi CASA Center for Achievement and Student Advancement, and he provided leadership for a five-year fund-raising plan that exceeded its target by $30 million. During his tenure, the college achieved increases in degrees awarded, certificates awarded, local high school graduate enrollment, and transfers to four-year colleges and institutions. Additionally, the college was one of the top 100 producers of associates degrees awarded to under-represented minority students.

Will earned a Bachelor of Science with honors at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and he was a member of the 1976 national championship baseball team inducted into the Cal Poly Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018. He was also honored by Cal Poly Pomona as a Distinguished Alumnus in 2018. Will completed two master’s degrees at Purdue University and a doctorate at the University of California, Los Angeles. In 2019, Purdue University presented him with the Distinctive Service Award and Hartnell College renamed its STEM Center Building in his honor.

Dr. Lewallen will be an extremely valuable asset to the SPI Team, and he is eager to provide guidance, strategy, and assistance to SPI clients.