Dr. James E. Middleton was appointed to the Oregon State Board of Higher Education in July 2012. He is currently the fourth president in Central Oregon Community College's more than 60-year history. Dr. Middleton has served more than 30 years as a community college administrator and 10 years teaching in high schools and community colleges. 

Prior to coming to COCC, Dr. Middleton served as president of the College of Marin in California - from 1993 to 2003. Subsequently, he served one year as a visiting scholar at the Community College Leadership Development Initiatives at Claremont Graduate University in California. Prior to moving to Marin, he spent 11 years at Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport (formally Williamsport Area Community College), first as the director of Integrated Studies for two years and then the dean and vice president of academic affairs for nine years. In Williamsport, he helped guide the college in its transformation from a local community college to a regional four-year college while retaining a strong community college program of associate degrees and short-term technical certificates.

Dr. Middleton previously served on the Executive Board of the Oregon Community College Association.  As COCC's President, he has helped lead the college through nationally distinctive enrollment growth doubling credit enrollment over a four year period, coordinated transformational changes in the college's instructional facilities, and developed public/private partnerships to provide alternative income to the college over the long term.

Dr. Middleton earned a bachelor's degree in European literature and thought from the University of Iowa; a master's degree in English literature from the University of Leeds in England; a master's degree in English and an educational specialist degree in community college education from the University of Iowa; and a doctorate of arts in English language and literature from the University of Michigan.

His term expires in 2015.