Longtime Chaffey College Governing Board Member Kathleen Brugger Retires

Kathleen Brugger first stepped into the world of public service at 34-years-old because she felt the history books her children were bringing home from school were too outdated.

She ran for a seat on the Ontario-Montclair School District Board in March 1977. She was the only female candidate in the running, and had no expectations of winning.

“They called me the next morning and told me I won. I said, ‘I did?’” she said.

In nearly five decades as a public servant, Brugger says that she is proud to have helped students of all ages achieve their academic goals and hopes that is her legacy at Chaffey College.

After serving on the Chaffey College Governing Board for 32 years, Brugger decided to retire from her role. The campus and surrounding community gathered Dec. 2 to celebrate her retirement. Her last board meeting will be on Dec. 18. 

But despite stepping down, she says she is still not done serving. She will join the Chaffey College Foundation Board to serve her alma mater through academic scholarships.

“I want to continue to give back,” she said.

Brugger moved with her family from Montana to California in the late 1950s. The daughter of a 20-year military veteran and college graduate, Brugger knew from childhood that she wanted to pursue a college education.

But the journey out west proved to be financially difficult. After graduating from Montclair High School in 1961, she had to think practically about her next step.

“We didn’t have money to pay for an expensive college,” Brugger said. “Chaffey was free at the time and provided free bus transportation. That was a biggie because I didn’t have a car.”

She earned a general education associate’s degree in 1963 and transferred to Cal Poly Pomona, where she received a bachelor’s degree in social work.

Brugger worked for San Bernardino County as a social worker, ensuring that single parents receiving public assistance were providing proper care for their children. She also served on the PTA for the Ontario Montclair School District, where her three children attended school, and worked alongside her late husband in his construction business.

Brugger wanted to provide more support for her children and her community, so she ran for a seat on the district’s school board and served in that role for 16 years.

Toward the end of her tenure, a Chaffey College employee encouraged her to return to her alma mater as a governing board member. But in the late 1990s, that proved to be challenging.

Tensions within the board, and across the campus community often led to meetings stretching until the wee hours – something Brugger felt was unfair to families and staff.

“At one of the meetings, I announced that I’m leaving at 10 p.m., and I did. I left. That only happened once,” she said. “I was a little feisty at the time.”

During Brugger’s tenure, she oversaw three superintendents, the passage of two bond measures, the expansion of the college from one to three campuses, the opening of the Industrial Technical Learning Center and the expansion of support services. She also served when Chaffey was named a top 10 finalist for the 2017 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence.

In the early days of her service with Chaffey, Brugger sought to bring harmony to the campus. She feels she has achieved this in part because the board she works with today gets along together, and does not seek to promote personal agendas. She considers her proudest moment the hiring of Superintendent/President Henry D. Shannon in 2007. 

“He brought camaraderie to the school,” Brugger said. “He’s been willing to walk the campus and go out and meet people, talking to classified professionals, faculty and staff.”

Brugger’s service was not limited to Chaffey. She also served in numerous other organizations including the San Bernardino County Committee on School District Organization, the Montclair Chamber of Commerce, Ontario YMCA, the Assistance League and more. Chaffey College honored her with the “Alumni of the Year” award in 2002.

The most important lesson she has learned during her career is the value of patience. She used to experience frustration when something she wanted to accomplish did not get done quickly.

“You have to be a little patient in education,” she said. “It’s not going to happen today or tomorrow, but it’s going to happen eventually. You just have to keep working at it.”

Brugger hopes that Chaffey will continue to expand, particularly in the area of trade programs. Having two grandchildren who have earned degrees through Chaffey Career Technical Education programs – nursing and radiologic technology – she has witnessed the value of a two-year degree. She has pledged a $25,000 scholarship endowment for nursing students.

And as she steps away from her governing role, she hopes people will remember her for the mission that guided her from the start.

“I hope my legacy will be that I was there to improve the lives of our students,” she said.

Retired faculty member Andrea Dutton has been provisionally appointed to fill Brugger’s seat on the board.