Gov. Deval Patrick announced Friday the appointment of local businessman Fernando Garcia to the position of chairman of the Board of Trustees for Bristol Community College.

A longtime trustee on the 11-member board, Garcia, of New Bedford, will replace attorney James Grady, who served as chairman for the past 10 years, said BCC President John Sbrega.

Garcia could not be reached for comment. According to Sbrega, Garcia was traveling to the Azores on Friday.

Patrick’s appointment of the community college board chairman is the result of legislation passed in the spring that allows the governor, who also has the authority to appoint board members, to overhaul the community college system. In the past, the trustees selected their chairman.

Sbrega said he was pleased that Patrick appointed a person who lives in the region and is already a member of the board.

“I am very excited about working with Mr. Garcia. He is close with other trustees and is very much committed to BCC and its mission,” Sbrega said.

He said Garcia has a deep understanding of BCC’s role in economic and workforce development.

In a news release, Patrick said the state’s community colleges are at the center of the administration’s efforts to close the skills gap and help people get back to work in Massachusetts.

“I want to thank Mr. Garcia for his willingness to serve in this capacity and am confident that he will be a critical partner in our collective efforts to better serve our students and employers, building a stronger Commonwealth for generations to come,” Patrick said.

Garcia was the owner and CEO of Fall River Ford on William Canning Boulevard for 15 years. He sold the company in June 2012.

An ardent champion of the Azorean culture in the Fall River area, Garcia is the president of the Espirito Santo Museum Foundation. Ten years in the making, the project would create an Azorean/Luso cultural museum at the site of the former, now-demolished St. Louis the King Church. In August, Garcia released a long-awaited project feasibility study. The project has a price tag of $13.2 million.

Sbrega said Garcia has “his finger on the pulse” of work force issues.

“He is deeply involved with his marketing firm and has demonstrated excellent knowledge on the issue. I think he’ll be wonderful in the role,” said Sbrega.

Garcia is the president and CEO of the New Bedford firm Garcia Digital Marketing.