GILROY
– Despite the difficult issues Gavilan College President Steve
Kinsella faces, his skills in finance and leadership have earned
him the respect of students, faculty and staff members, as well as
members of the various communities in Gavilan’s district.
GILROY – Despite the difficult issues Gavilan College President Steve Kinsella faces, his skills in finance and leadership have earned him the respect of students, faculty and staff members, as well as members of the various communities in Gavilan’s district.
Part of that respect comes because Kinsella takes the time to listen and understand the needs of the community, said Laura Perry, president of Gavilan’s Board of Trustees. He’s laid back and calm while at the same time he’s very authoritative, she said.
“He’s got a lot of respect in the community,” Perry said. “He’s part of the Gilroy Rotary. He’s a member of the Leadership Morgan Hill program. He’s very active in the community.”
Kinsella admits he alone can’t keep Gavilan on a financially stable path. He needs the help of others. He describes his leadership style as a “participatory” one where he seeks out information from others in the Gavilan community and listens to their opinions.
“I prefer to basically solicit input and involve as wide a range of people as possible,” he said. “It’s really important that the changes we have to go through are accepted institutionally.”
He said he also tries not to go into a decision-making situation with a pre-determined outcome but remain open to all viewpoints.
“I have a general idea of where we want to go,” he said. “It’s the path we go down that frequently changes.”
One of those paths resulted in the passage of Measure E, the college’s biggest accomplishment during Kinsella’s tenure, he said. More than 250 community volunteers gave their time and energy to make it a success, he said.
Suzanne Bulle, Kinsella’s administrative assistant, recalled the continuous warm-hearted encouragement Gavilan’s president gave volunteers in campaigning for the bond measure. He’d frequently send hand-written thank-you notes to people as well as encourage them to share their personal campaign-war stories, she said.
“It’s always remembering those little things that are the most important,” she said. “He really is a man of integrity. That’s the first thing you hear about, the first thing you see is a really high level of integrity.”
Although Kinsella’s personality might initially come off as “reserved,” Bulle admits, deep-down he genuinely cares about people.
“(He has) a wonderful sense of humor,” she said with a chuckle. “Sometimes it’s surprising.”
Gavilan board member Deb Smith also said Kinsella’s shy personality might initially block people from getting to know the real man.
“He comes across at first not maybe as gregarious or outgoing as some presidents have been,” she said. “But once you get to know him, you’ll find he’s got a great sense of humor. … He’s funny. He’s got this quick sense of humor that kind of shocks you.”
Smith said she’s pleased with Kinsella’s performance so far, and his leadership style has nurtured the board’s confidence in him.
“He’s the type of leader that wants to hear your ideas,” she said. “He wants to hear what you’re saying. He genuinely listens.”
Overall, Gavilan students also are impressed with Kinsella’s leadership, said Simon Cooke, president of the Associated Student Body.
“They see him as very professional,” he said. “People are confident that he can do his job well.”
Cooke said he sees Kinsella almost daily on campus. The president often walks into classrooms, meets with various groups and clubs and casually stops students on the walkways or in the student union to ask them how they are doing.
“Anytime we ask him for a forum to come and answer questions from the students, he makes time for it,” Cooke said. “He’s very approachable and willing to answer questions.”
