


Río Hondo College has named Teresa Dreyfuss as superintendent/president for a one-year term, marking a return to the post for the leader. The announcement comes two months after the Río Hondo College board of trustees terminated Marilyn Flores’ appointment three years early for unsaid reasons.
Dreyfuss’ appointment will run for the 2025-2026 academic year while the board continues to look for a longer-term placement, according to college officials. She filled the same position in 2017 until Flores’ appointment in 2022.
She retired briefly in 2019 but returned in July 2020, when her successor, Arturo Reyes, was placed on leave following an investigation by the Southern California News Group that he reduced his own work calendar by 25 days without board approval.
Reyes resigned later that year.
“Ms. Dreyfuss brings decades of experience and a proven track record of leadership, including a highly regarded previous tenure as superintendent/president of Río Hondo College,” said Communications Director Dalilah Davaloz.
Her experience includes leading the transition to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and overseeing a $250 million Measure A Facilities Program to modernize the campus. She also expanded Associate Degrees for Transfer from three to 27, and created Río Promise in 2017 to cover two years of free tuition for first-time college students.
Dreyfuss will take over for Don Moya-Miller, who was named acting superintendent/president after Flores was fired.
Flores declined to comment at this time, though she has previously mentioned the possibility of legal action.
The board declined to comment on Flores’ firing, citing “pending litigation.” The college has justified its closed-door discussions under state law.
“Río Hondo’s standard operating procedures, and Río Hondo’s commitment to the confidentiality of personnel matters, employment decisions of this nature are made during closed session of the board and reported out publicly at the end of closed session,” a May statement read.
Amancai Biraben is a correspondent who writes for the Southern California News Group.