Jeff DeFranco serves as special advisor to the provost on academic alliance strategy at Arizona State University. His career spans K–12 education, community colleges, and four-year universities, with a focus on partnerships, educational pathways, and student success.
An Aspen Presidential Fellow, DeFranco served nearly a decade as superintendent/president of Lake Tahoe Community College in California. Through an entrepreneurial approach, the college increased full-time equivalent student enrollment by 48% and annual recurring revenue by 150%. Associate degree graduates increased 171%, alongside gains in certificate attainment and transfers to four-year universities.
He led a campus transformation, expanding and modernizing the facility footprint, with affordable on-campus student housing as a cornerstone project, for which he secured funding and oversaw implementation. Other capital projects included a university center, an early learning center, a mobility hub, and modernized classrooms and laboratories. He also secured funding and broke ground on the Tahoe Basin Public Safety Training Complex.
During his presidency, DeFranco expanded athletics and launched ReConnect to Complete for adults with some college but no degree. He also spearheaded Lake Tahoe College Promise, the nation’s first and only bi-state College Promise program. Combining tuition assistance, personalized support, and a first-year experience course, the program achieved a three-year graduation rate well above the national community college average.
Working with donors and the college’s foundation, he secured multiple million-dollar gifts for scholarship endowments. Annual scholarship awards grew 384%, with more than $500,000 distributed to students annually.
In recognition of his leadership and service, LTCC’s Board of Trustees named DeFranco President Emeritus, and the City of South Lake Tahoe presented him with a Key to the City.
His volunteer service has included curating TEDxSouthLakeTahoe and serving on the boards of the Decision Education Foundation, Tahoe Chamber, and Chico State Alumni Association. He received Chico State’s 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award.