SOUTH PORTLAND – James O. Ortiz, the vice president of Bunker Hill Community College in Boston, has been appointed the new president of Southern Maine Technical College.

The Maine Technical College System board of trustees approved Ortiz’s nomination at its meeting Wednesday. Ortiz was selected from a pool of 80 candidates.

“Dr. Ortiz brings to SMTC a rich and diverse background in the community college arena,” said MTCS President John Fitzsimmons. “He is known by his colleagues as an extremely strong academic leader, as well as a consensus-builder and communicator.”

Ortiz succeeds Wayne Ross, who retires in January after serving as SMTC’s president for 23 years. Ortiz begins his new job on Feb. 4.

Ortiz has been vice president of academic and student affairs at Bunker Hill since 1998. He has held administrative posts at Columbia-Greene Community College in Hudson, N.Y., Finger Lakes Community College in Canandaigua, N.Y., and Northern Essex Community College in Haverhill, Mass.

Ortiz was also a sociology professor at Finger Lakes. He holds degrees from Queensborough Community College, Hunter College and New York University. He earned his doctorate of education in policy and administration from Boston University.