For the first time in more than six months, Lane Community College’s Board of Education will operate with a full slate of members. During the July 2 meeting, LCCs Board of Education elected a new chair and vice-chair, and swore in two new board members–bringing the total number of members back to seven.
Austin Fölnagy will serve as chair and Jerry Rust as vice-chair for the 2025-26 term.
Fölnagy has served as the board representative for Zone 4 since 2021, and succeeds Zachary Mulholland in the chair position.
Rust is one of two new members on the board, and was sworn in to represent Zone 1 earlier in the meeting. Rust is a former Lane County commissioner and succeeds Kevin Alltucker as the vice-chair.
“We have been quite a divided board,” said Steve Mital, who said the ongoing disagreements within the board motivated him to vote Rust for vice-chair. “I do think that Jerry has some unique skill in pulling people together.”
Rust said he hopes to bring the board together and improve the cooperation among members.
Jesse Maldonado is the second new board member and represents Zone 7.
Maldonado’s seat in Zone 7 finally closes the gap on the board. The seat, previously held by Lisa Fragala, opened after she stepped down to serve in the state legislature in November.
Following Fragala’s departure, the board had experienced tensions, and did not agree on a replacement to fill the vacant seat. Internal conflicts became public during an April 2 meeting when Alltucker accused Mulholland of bullying and abusive behavior.
“I am no stranger to the dysfunction that we’ve seen here,” said Maldonado. “I’m really excited to move on to greener and brighter pastures.”
LCC's Board of Education governs the policies, budget and operations for Lane Community College. The board will reconvene for their first meeting of the 2025-26 school year on Sept. 3. The board is also scheduled to meet for a daylong retreat on July 19.
