Cohort 2023

As a passionate college instructor with an equitable classroom mindset, Nadia is a beacon of inspiration and inclusivity in the academic realm. Her unwavering dedication to providing a nurturing and supportive learning environment allows each student to thrive regardless of their background or circumstances. Embracing diversity, she fosters an atmosphere of open dialogue and mutual respect, encouraging students to share their unique perspectives and enriching the educational experience for everyone. Nadia's commitment to fairness and justice ensures that each student's voice is heard, fostering a culture where all learners feel valued, empowered, and capable of achieving their full potential. Nadia's students are not only recipients of knowledge but active participants in their own growth, and under her guidance, they emerge as confident and empathetic global citizens, ready to positively impact the world. 

Having once been a community college student herself, she understands firsthand the transformative power of education and the crucial role community colleges play in empowering individuals from diverse backgrounds. Now, fueled by the gratitude and sense of belonging she experienced during her academic journey, she aspires to give back to the community that supported her. As a dedicated instructor, her mission is to create an inclusive and nurturing learning environment, where every student feels seen, heard, and valued. Drawing upon her own experiences, she aims to inspire and uplift her students, instilling in them the belief that they too can overcome obstacles and achieve their dreams. By combining her passion for teaching with an equitable mindset, she strives to be a catalyst for positive change, equipping students with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to thrive both academically and in life. 

Nadia obtained her AS in chemistry from San Diego Community College District, BS in environmental chemistry at UC San Diego and, MS in chemistry from the University of Illinois at Chicago. With the knowledge and learnings obtained from this doctoral program, Nadia hopes to transform the lives and education of community college students on a global scale. 

Coron Brinson was born (in Atlanta) and raised (in Dublin) Georgia into a family that always promoted the importance of education, particularly his grandfather Wylie Tinsley, who was stripped of his ability to further his education past the 6th grade, due to him growing up in a sharecropping family. This is his 13th year in educating youth within public districts, charter, and Catholic schools in Oakland and Chicago, respectfully. He was named the 2021 State of Black Oakland Education Impact Awardee. During time away from education, he implemented and designed an educational program for homeless youth at a Chicago LGBTQQI+ shelter. He fought and organized fast food and retail workers for a higher living wage and healthcare as the Lead Organizer for SEIU’s Fight for $15 Campaign. Since bringing his talents to Oakland, he worked as a Parent Organizer and fought alongside parent leaders to hold actions and meetings with elected officials for them to advocate and take charge of their child’s education.

Coron has experience throughout the K-12th grade system, as a teacher in elementary and middle schools and currently as a high school administrator at Skyline High School. A 2022 Fulbright-Hayes scholar, Brinson traveled to South Africa to create an Ethnic Studies curriculum for California high school students on “Transforming Inequality: Examining Racial, Economic, and Social Justice Movements, Public Health, and Culture in Post-Apartheid South Africa.” 

Coron Brinson received his B.A. in History from the University of Georgia, an M.Ed in Elementary Education from Lincoln University (PA), and a Master’s of Public Administration from the University of Southern California. He is a proud member of the Advisory Board of the Black Teacher Project and the most recent Content Manager for Great School Voices. Mr. Brinson is a newly elected board of directors of the United Administrators of Oakland Schools. He is enthused and humbled to be a part of San Francisco State’s Ed.D. of Educational Leadership Fall 2023 cohort.

Danny is a dedicated scholar on a transformative educational journey, currently pursuing an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership at San Francisco State University. With a background in Public Administration, Economics, and Computer Science, Danny transitioned his academic focus to the dynamic realm of educational leadership. Danny's passion for education and commitment to student success remain unwavering as he explores innovative ways to make a positive impact in the field.

In addition to his academic pursuits, Danny's dynamic entrepreneur who manages both "Sour Flour," a sourdough bread business, and "La Victoria Bakery," a Mexican panaderia. This entrepreneurial spirit allows Danny to apply diverse skills and insights to the educational leadership journey. Danny's multifaceted approach to life and learning fuels a drive to bridge the worlds of academia and entrepreneurship.

As a member of this educational leadership cohort, Danny looks forward to connecting with fellow scholars and professionals who share a passion for improving education and fostering student success. Together, he hopes to explore innovative strategies, learn from one another, and work towards a brighter future in education.

Kristin Hancock has been an elementary school educator in Marin County for the past 18 years. She has taught first, second, third, and sixth grades in public schools. She has also worked as a Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) instructional coach. Kristin is passionate about creating equity in education for all students. In particular, Kristin is focused on the potential of implementing professional learning communities (PLCs) as a vehicle to close the achievement gap and bring equitable educational outcomes to all student groups.

Kristin earned her administrative credential at the University of San Francisco, a Masters of Science in Education from Dominican University of California, and a Bachelor Arts in Diversified Liberal Arts concurrently with her teaching credential at the University of San Diego.

This upcoming year, Kristin is excited to start a new step in her career as an Assistant Principal at an elementary school in San Rafael. In her free time, Kristin is a voracious reader, enjoys hiking and adventuring in nature, and traveling all over the world.

Rangel Hernandez Fernandez (Ran) was born and raised in the state of Oaxaca; a state with a lot of diversity and 17 indigenous languages. Spanish is his native language. He is multilingual and values language, culture, and diversity. His family is very diverse.  His father was of Afro-Mexican, Indigenous, and Spanish descent. His mother is Spanish, Turkish, and Indigenous. Ran has one brother and three sisters and they are the first generation in the family that had the opportunity to go to college. He was raised in a family that strongly values education.  

Ran moved to the United States 13 years ago. He has been in education for 18 years as a bilingual teacher in elementary schools, a Spanish teacher in High School, an English/Spanish coordinator in middle school, an AP in a Dual Immersion elementary school and currently an AP in a Middle School. Ran believes in creating and finding equitable experiences to support families and benefit students in his community to increase their performance. Gracias! Danke! Grazie! Merci!

Tachelle was born and raised in San Francisco, California in Bayview Hunters Point. She is a first-generation college student who obtained multiple college degrees in Social Science, Liberal Arts, and African American Studies from Laney College. She also obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Liberal Studies and Black Studies from San Francisco State University. Tachelle has graduated with a Master in Art in Equity and Social Justice in Education. Tachelle served as the associate director of Bayview Association for Youth and program coordinator for 100% College Prep. She was the first Black female educator to teach Ethnic Studies at Willie L. Brown Middle School for San Francisco Unified School District. She was the president of San Francisco State Black Student Union, Education Opportunity Program Student Organization,  Chairperson of Jabulani Black Graduation, educational representative and vice president of university affairs for Associated Students. Tachelle is currently is a published author, business owner and educator for Step to College in the College of Education for San Francisco State University. Tachelle plans on earning her Educational Doctorate Degree  in order to become Secretary of Education for the United States of America. 

Alexis King (she/her) is a passionate educator who endeavors to engage with culturally competent compassion and care in her work with students and the staff she supervises. As the daughter of a family of educators, she was raised around and in classrooms and educated in the public school system.

Alexis earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and a minor in Creative Writing from Colorado State University-Pueblo.  After her bachelor’s, she worked in student leadership and programming efforts at her undergrad institution while earning a Master's in Educational Leadership from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. 

In 2016 Alexis moved back to her home state and began work in the California State University system.  Alexis currently serves at San Francisco State as a Case Manager.  She assists residents experiencing challenges navigate resources and gain connections to mental, physical, academic, or financial resources. She strives to provide training for staff and students on mental health response training while organizing preventative programs for residents residing on campus. 

Education is essential to develop cultural understanding, deconstructing barriers, and developing processes and equitable practices.  Alexis is eager to take on the challenge and opportunities that the Ed.D program will offer in her work and personal life. 

Angela Kollerer (she/her) is a distinguished educator whose journey in Elementary Education spans over a decade. With a multifaceted background as a classroom teacher, literacy coach, and induction mentor, Angela's dedication to creating enriching learning experiences has positively influenced numerous students and educators.

As an adjunct faculty member at San Francisco State University (SFSU) since 2020, Angela is honored to collaborate and work as a lecturer in the Elementary Education Department, focusing on language and literacy courses. Additionally, she plays a pivotal role as the Student Advisor for the Multiple Subject Credential Program, guiding and shaping the aspirations of future teachers.

Angela's research and passion lie in culturally responsive teaching practices and culturally responsive children's literature, striving to foster inclusivity and equity within the educational landscape. Her impactful collaboration with the SMFCEF in 2022 provided thousands of culturally responsive books to elementary classrooms, enhancing the literary journey of young learners, and ensuring students feel represented in their curriculum.

Beyond academia, Angela is a mother of two strong, brave girls and enjoys hiking, crafting, and exploring libraries with her family. She also is an avid yogi, book lover, and tea drinker.

Marci (she/her) is currently English Faculty and Department Chair at Los Medanos College (LMC) in Pittsburg, Ca. Marci lives in Brentwood and teaches in person classes at the Brentwood LMC Campus. An educator since 2005, Marci started out teaching 6th grade while in school finishing her M.A. in English. She taught middle school (mostly 7th and 8th grades) until 2018 when she became a full-time faculty member at LMC. As an adjunct since 2014, Marci knew the college campus was where she felt most at home; both as a teacher and as a faculty leader. 

A first-generation college graduate and first-generation professional, Marci is passionate about teaching and learning and about how colleagues communicate and collaborate in the workplace. Frustrated with performative equity and slow-playing moves that stand in the way of student success, Marci is returning to school to eventually pursue a management position where she believes honoring Black excellence, celebrating Hispanic heritage, and lifting up all voices from groups traditionally marginalized but rarely recognized for their continued talents and gifts will make positive changes for all of us. Student success cannot exist without honesty, cooperation, and authenticity. 

Marci grew up in Long Beach, Ca, raised by a young single mother. Marci enjoys being outdoors, reading, and spending time with family. 

Lisa Leiva is the Head of Instructional Design at the UCSF Library. She has over 20 years of experience working with UCSF faculty to enhance student learning using pedagogy, course design, and instructional technology. She leads a team of instructional designers who support faculty and staff in all UCSF professional schools and educational programs. Lisa enjoys introducing faculty to creative methods that integrate technology into the classroom and believes that Instructional designers are perfectly positioned to inspire and motivate others to innovate and create the changes necessary to shape the future of education. In addition to managing the instructional design team at the UCSF Library, she chairs the Teaching Innovations Work Group, a university-wide community of practice for education technology professionals from multiple disciplines. Lisa is also an active member of the UCSF Chicanx Latinx Campus Association.

Lisa holds a B.A. in Graphic Communications and an M.A. in Education with a Concentration in Instructional Technologies from San Francisco State University.

Kathryn Lige (she/her) is a licensed psychotherapist and certificated school social worker. Her responsibilities include providing oversight of a school-based mental health program, providing counseling, and consulting with staff in educational institutions. She also specializes in and teaches social-emotional curriculum. The heart of her work is in Black and Latinx communities. Kathryn has served throughout California and in New York City. She has extensive experience providing behavioral health services to children, adolescents, young adults, and parents in K-12 and college settings. 

Kathryn earned a B.A. in Social Work from Cal State LA and an M.S. in Social Work from Columbia University, specializing in Advanced Generalist Practice & Programming. Her focuses included school-based social services and the integration of social workers in educational leadership. As an Ed.D. student, she intends to research the social-emotional intelligence of educational administrators, the motivation and retention of educators, and what it takes to lead school communities of color effectively. Through opportunities in political advocacy at California’s capital, several media appearances, diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, and various committee leadership roles, Kathryn is driven to make a difference in the future of education.

Aside from her professional endeavors, Kathryn lives a life of travel, TV show/movie-binging, and cultivating balance within her family and faith. Occasionally, she teaches yoga and has an interest in media production.

Carmen Madden is an English Professor at Ohlone College, Founder of CLM Films, and Producer, Director, and Writer of the Feature Film, Everyday Black Man. Carmen has always been an advocate for helping others.  She has served as President of the Ohlone Faculty Union and made sure to get in “good trouble” while protecting faculty, students, and, at times, administration. She was also one of the pioneers of the Social Justice Conference instituted at Ohlone College. Carmen’s drive to be a voice for others shows in her writing, leadership roles, classroom. and her non-profit work.  With a BA in Film (Screenwriting) and a MA in English (Concentration in creative writing) from San Francisco State University, Carmen is looking forward to being back home again as she furthers her leadership skills through San Francisco State Ed.D program.  The call to do and be more has come and she welcomes the challenge.

Shuleen Chau Martin (she/her) is a Physics Professor and current Physical Sciences Department Chair at Diablo Valley College (DVC) in Pleasant Hill, Ca. Before teaching at DVC, Shuleen held various careers. She worked as a clinical dietitian in hospitals and in public health research, she studied astrophysics, and most recently was as a long term substitute teacher, primarily in high school science courses. She is a passionate educator, committed to helping students navigate the road to STEM careers and reflecting on her own journey as a woman of AAPI, European American and Native American heritage, she is dedicated to bringing equity to STEM fields.

Shuleen holds a B.S in Nutrition and Clinical Dietetics and an M.S. in Physics from San Francisco State University.

Shuleen lives in Pleasant Hill, CA with her husband, her children and their cat, reptiles, chickens and bees. In her spare time she enjoys reading and gardening.

Esmeralda Sanchez Moseley is currently the Director of Educational Services for Petaluma City Schools. She oversees curriculum and instruction and works collaboratively with educators across the K-12 system. She is passionate about school leadership and supporting principals in their quest to lead with an equity lens. Esmeralda believes educational spaces must be transformative and humanizing for all students, most especially those who have been underserved and historically marginalized.

Prior to her position in Petaluma City Schools, Esmeralda served twelve years as the proud Principal of Flowery Elementary, a Spanish dual language immersion elementary school in the Sonoma Valley Unified School District. Esmeralda has served in a variety of positions over the past twenty-four years including Bilingual Teacher, Literacy Specialist, Vice-Principal, and Professional Development Instructor. 

Esmeralda has a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from California State University, Sacramento. She also holds both a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential:  Bilingual Cross-Cultural, Language, and Academic Development (BCLAD-Spanish), a Clear Professional Administrative Credential, and a Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Santa Clara University.

Luis Padilla is a San Francisco native, 1^st generation college student and product of the San Francisco Unified School District. After high school, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps serving 6 years traveling all over the country including a tour in Iraq in 2009 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. After his military service, Luis utilized his G.I. Bill to complete his Bachelor’s degree in History at the University of California, Santa Cruz and his Master’s degree in International Studies at the University of San Francisco.

The experience of being a first-generation college student and utilizing the GI Bill, spurred an interest in how schools were transitioning veterans into higher education and specifically into community colleges. Since 2016, Luis has served as the Program Services Coordinator for Veterans at the College of San Mateo where he continues his work with transitioning veterans and military-connected students into higher education by implementing culturally responsive programing and trainings to ensure that the program creates a smooth transition and an equitable learning environment to support student success, success and retention.

When not working, Luis continues to be a part of the Mission District community and loves spending time with his family, traveling, cooking, watching documentaries, experiencing the Bay Area culinary scene and following the San Francisco 49ers, Giants, Warriors and the Arsenal football club.

Arnold is a second-generation Filipino American educator currently serving as the Director of Student Life at Chabot College with over 20 years in higher education. With a range of experiences in Student Affairs including multicultural centers, residential life, student activities, and student government, he strives to develop student leaders, to remove barriers to educational access and resources, and to enable students discover their best authentic self. Arnold holds a master’s degree in Policy, Organization, and Leadership Studies from the Stanford University Graduate School of Education and a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Texas A&M University. After a brief career as a software engineer, Arnold parlayed his volunteer work developing Filipino American youth programs and experience as a student leader into a job as a Diversity Education Specialist for the Texas A&M Department of Multicultural Services. Which ultimately served as the foundation of a career advancing justice and liberation through education. Arnold also works to help develop fellow educators serving many years on the planning team for the Asian Pacific Americans in Higher Education (APAHE) national conference and was elected to the APAHE Board of Directors in 2019 and has served in leadership roles in many other professional organizations. In his own development, Arnold is a graduate of LEAP Advance program and was part of the inaugural cohort of the Aspiring Radical Leaders Institute.

Eresa Puch currently works as Assistant Vice President of Administrative Services at College of Marin. She offers over twenty years of professional practice in operations and finance leadership roles, with a range of work experiences that include serving as controller at Napa Valley College, senior accounting manager at Buck Institute for Education, internal auditor at Kaiser Permanente, and customer service director with United Airlines.

Eresa believes that serving our community college students is a great opportunity to be impactful in our diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility goals and aspirations. Eresa shares, "When we do our work with integrity and compassion, the result is life-changing especially for our students furthest from opportunity. Our work in administrative services communicates the story of how we carefully manage as good stewards the limited resources entrusted to us by the community to support our mission and strategic goals. But we are just one part of the whole body. Together with our talented faculty members, dedicated student services team, engaged governing board, effective executive leadership, and devoted staff, we create a synergy that serves at best our most important stakeholder - our students." Eresa adds her learning from the global pandemic as, "A good community is important... to receive support from and give back to. This is how we raise our young as a village and how we emerge from challenges stronger and better."

Eresa earned a Master of Business Administration degree focused on Executive Leadership and Global Entrepreneurship from Sonoma State University’s Graduate School of Business and Economics. 

 Eresa looks forward to making important discoveries and becoming a skillful researcher as a doctoral student with SFSU.

Sarah Elisa Stein (she/her) is a knowledgeable early childhood education advocate, practitioner, and founder of Polka Dot Preschool in San Francisco. Her relationship-based preschool and education program is entering its seventeenth year. Moreover, Sarah has worked in public, private, and international education sectors for three decades, having taught in diverse settings and holding varying organizational roles ranging from assistant teacher to administrative director positions; her work extends from infant care classrooms to college-level programs. These experiential influences have shaped her perspectives as a compassionate educational leader and motivated her work in social justice to reexamine notions of diversity, equity, and power. Her humanistic approach towards mentorship and collaboration has lent a unique lens of understanding that one’s funds of knowledge contribute profoundly to mattering and the multilayered tapestry of being.

A loving wife and mother of three young adult children, Sarah acknowledges her teaching principles intersect by blending her personal and professional interests of actively nurturing anti-racist family practice and teaching with a heart through cultural responsiveness. In fall 2021, Sarah bravely returned to higher education after a twenty-five-year hiatus to co-parent and construct her preschool program; she completed her Master’s in Education in spring 2023 with honors. A curiosity developed for her around using a research method of critical ethnography to identify inequitable societal structures and uncover theoretical origins. She considered provocations around disrupting normative text and engaged in inquiry to deconstruct analytical issues determining the trajectory of our educational system. In the spirit of learning sciences, Sarah supports work that elevates the voice and identity of early childhood educators and calls to action a collective reconceptualization of the profession.

Sarah earned her Bachelor of Arts from New College of California in 1998 with a Humanities, Activism, and Social Change degree. She was a 2023 recipient of SF State’s Graduate Student Awards for Distinguished Achievement for her research using narrative inquiry and autobiographical ethnographies to affirm teacher identities and honor lived experiences of students and their families. As a doctoral student, she strives to collaborate with colleagues while investigating inclusive critical pedagogy and educational implications that contribute to reshaping teacher research and the meaning of early childhood education.

Chad Stephenson (BA - SUNY Fredonia; MLIS - San Jose State University) has worked at City College of San Francisco as a reference librarian for more than 15 years and served on many levels of the college’s participatory governance structure including second Vice-President of the Academic Senate, tri-chair of EASE (Equitable Access to Services Evaluation), chair of Noncredit Adult Education Committee, as well as others. Chad has most recently served as interim Department Chair for the Library (2022-2023). Chad is a proud graduate of City College’s Library Information Technology program.

Previous to working at community college, Chad was trained as a high school teacher and worked as a teacher-librarian in several schools. For over 15 years, Chad has worked with students ages 6-18 in K-12 schools where he built curriculum to teach information literacy and helped create new libraries and learning commons spaces, all of which informed his pedagogy. He has been published in journals such as KnowledgeQuest and Teacher-Librarian on topics of library space design, copyright, and children’s literature, and served as BAISL (Bay Area Independent School Libraries) president which included over 150 school librarians.

Chad’s passion for working with community college students stems from an appreciation of working with older adults and seeing education as a tool for social and economic justice.

Jason Sutter currently serves as the Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources in Petaluma City Schools. In this role, he enjoys supporting the administrators, teachers, and staff in serving all the students and families of Petaluma. Before joining Human Resources, Jason oversaw curriculum and instruction as the Director of Educational Services.

Jason has been an educator for 30 years and during that time has also served as an Instructional Assistant, Teacher, Principal, Staff Developer, and Regional Coordinator. The 10 years he served as an Elementary Principal in Petaluma and Sonoma Valley stand out as especially rewarding and important work. 

Jason received his Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s Degree from Sonoma State University. He has teaching credentials in multi subject and English as well as his administrative credential. Jason looks forward to the journey through the SFSU doctorate program. Especially excited about the focus on social justice, Jason hopes to learn and grow in new ways as he works with the staff and other members of this remarkable cohort. 

Jason lives in Sonoma Valley with wife and four children. In his spare time, Jason enjoys spending time with family, hiking, camping, and playing soccer.

Marvin was born and raised in Pomona, California. Growing up he undermined his abilities to succeed academically in an educational setting because of the vicious labels placed upon him as a Black male. He has overcome many hardships along his journey building him into the resilient individual he is today. Marvin dropped out of high school later returning to complete his General Educational Development Test (GED) at the Pomona Adult & Career Education. In 2008, he continued to pursue his education at Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC). He credits Mt. SAC for providing him with a foundation for success. Marvin graduated from the University of La Verne with a Bachelors of Science in Sociology and recently completed his Masters of Education in College Counseling Emphasis at the University of Redlands summer of 2023. 

Marvin has 15 years experience of working in the community and systems of education. He currently works at the College of Alameda as an Adjunct Counselor for the Rising Scholars Network. Marvin also is the CEO/Founder of Throne Vision Clothing, LLC. Previously, he provided mentorship, implemented and managed programs servings diverse groups of student populations for various nonprofit organizations in both Lynwood and Pomona Unified School Districts. Marvin has engaged in community activism organizing events and programs in efforts to uplift the youth through throughout the Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. Furthermore, he worked closely with previously incarcerated youth from South Central, Los Angeles and adult inmates in the California Rehabilitation Center (CRC) located in Norco, California and Luzira Prison located in Kampala, Uganda by volunteering for the Prison Education Project (PEP) and Reintegration Academy (RA).

Marvin has relocated to Northern California to expand his knowledge and expertise in education. He is compelled to join efforts with others to ensure equity among students in the community college system. Marvin has confidence SFSU Doctorate in Educational Leadership program will provide an intellectual and theoretical foundation to prepare him for the responsibilities of public leadership and service in administration.

A Villela-Smith (she/her) is a Black nonbinary creative producer, multimedia artist, educator, and DJ. She proudly hails from the Midwest and now calls Oakland her home. Her academic journey includes a Bachelor of Arts in Africana Studies and a Master's in Ethnic Studies from San Francisco State University, solidifying her expertise in the field. For the past seven years, A has passionately taught ethnic studies courses at the community college level and is actively engaged in co-establishing the ethnic studies department at Skyline College, demonstrating her commitment to fostering inclusive and innovative learning environments.

A's scholarship is beautifully complemented by her innate creativity and artistic prowess. As a producer and multimedia artist, she effortlessly brings a unique and imaginative perspective to any room she enters. Through her independent production company, Mi[C]heck Media & Productions, A curates captivating events that artfully blend artistry, social consciousness, education, liberation, healing, and joy, leaving a profound impact on audiences from diverse backgrounds.

Her creative endeavors extend to groundbreaking queer television series that challenge societal norms, thought-provoking multimedia playwriting exploring themes of identity and social justice, and mesmerizing drag performances that celebrate self-discovery and empowerment. Seamlessly weaving academia and artistry, A employs her creative talent as a powerful tool to bridge gaps, spark dialogue, and instigate meaningful change. As she embarks on her pursuit of a doctorate in education, her unique perspective and artistic vision will undoubtedly continue to inspire transformation and elevate the academic landscape.

A's current academic journey is profoundly influenced by her dedication to social justice, inclusivity, and empowerment. She remains committed to identifying and dismantling educational policies and systems that perpetuate exclusion. Believing that education should be a path to liberation, A advocates for empathy, compassion, understanding, and actionable change. Her primary ambition is to develop a comprehensive program aimed at recruiting and retaining queer Black individuals on community college campuses, fostering a supportive and inclusive environment for underrepresented voices to thrive. Additionally, A aims to pave the way for new Black educators by establishing pathways for their training and connecting them with ample employment opportunities in community colleges. This visionary approach not only promotes diversity within the teaching profession but also brings fresh perspectives and insights to the educational landscape.

A is determined to be a driving force in shifting campus cultures towards nurturing, empowering, and inclusive spaces, embodying her commitment as an education and social justice leader. She firmly believes in the power of education as a path to liberation and is poised to become a trailblazer in crafting educational spaces that celebrate diversity, compassion, and self-expression.

Sonji is a native San Franciscan. And has lived or worked in San Francisco all her life. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker passionate about working with families and children in Juvenile dependency and family court systems and has worked in diverse communities for over 20 years. Sonji has worked as a CPS worker and, most recently, at the SF Superior Court. as Family Court Mediator. Sonji has been a field liaison and lecturer at Cal State University East Bay. As well as a guest lecturer in other colleges in the Bay Area and out of state. Sonji is excited about the program and the opportunity to move more fully into the academic space. Recognizing how different we all are due to the pandemic, Sonji looks forward to researching resources and connections with courts and community colleges, mental health resources on college campuses, and parents' influence on community college attendance. Sonji received her Sociology degree from the University of California at Berkeley, and MSW from Howard University, in Washington, DC. In her spare time, Sonji enjoys traveling the world, hiking, and spending time with family and friends.