Seven candidates are competing for two seats on the Oakland Community College Board of Trustees, a nonpartisan race Oakland County voters will decide on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

The field includes appointed incumbent MiVida M. Burrus of Troy and six challengers: Jose F. Aliaga, Marian Blocker, Jacqueline A. Kelly, Robin L. McGregor, Alexandra Morgan and Deborah Snyder. Each seat carries a six-year term, with winners taking office Jan. 1, 2027.

OCC serves more than 20,000 students a year across five campuses in Auburn Hills, Waterford, Farmington Hills, Royal Oak and Southfield. The Auburn Hills campus is the closest to Rochester and Rochester Hills. Fall 2025 enrollment hit 16,125, marking a fourth straight year of growth, according to the college.

Trustees are elected at-large by voters across Oakland County and serve as unpaid volunteers who govern the college's operations and budget.

Burrus, an OCC alumna, was appointed to the board in April 2025 after being selected from more than 30 applicants to fill a vacancy left by former Trustee Susan Gibson. She holds an MBA from Walsh College and serves as senior director of development at Avalon Healing Center, a Detroit-based nonprofit. In her VOTE411 voter guide response, Burrus said she wants to advocate for the lowest tuition increases and rates in the state and strengthen workforce pathways.

Kelly, co-founder and managing partner of AsherKelly, an Oakland County law firm, said in her VOTE411 response that she has "nearly 30 years" of experience advising boards on governance and financial oversight. She served on the Village of Beverly Hills Council and is the parent of a former OCC student. The Oakland County Times published a video interview with Kelly on Saturday, Sept. 19.

McGregor spent 35 years at Consumers Energy in skilled trades, working as a lineman, pipefitter, welder and welding inspector, according to her VOTE411 profile. She served nine years as president of her local union, the first woman to hold that role, and sat on the Waterford School Board from 2009 to 2016.

Blocker describes herself as an educational leader with experience in charter school administration and grant development. She said in her VOTE411 response that she has secured more than $100 million in funding over her career. She is a doctoral candidate at Wayne State University.

No biographical information was available for Aliaga, Morgan or Snyder as of Monday, Sept. 21. All three appear on the ballot but had not responded to the VOTE411 voter guide.

According to BridgeDetroit's voter guide, absentee voting begins Thursday, Sept. 24. The last day to register online is Monday, Oct. 19.