Julianna Barnes (’91, ’10), an alumna of San Diego State University’s Community-Based Block and Ed.D. in Community College Leadership (CCLEAD) programs, has been selected as chancellor of the South Orange County Community College District.
The president of Cuyamaca College in El Cajon since 2015, Barnes will begin her new role in August. The South Orange County Community College District, which encompasses Saddleback College and Irvine Valley College, serves nearly 50,000 students per year.
Barnes was a member of the CCLEAD program’s inaugural cohort and later taught in the program. The College of Education's 2018 recipient of the Alumni Award of Distinction, she currently serves her alma mater as a member of the External Advisory Board to the Dean for the College of Education and the Department of Administration, Rehabilitation, and Postsecondary Education (ARPE) Advisory Board.
“I’ll forever be grateful to SDSU’s College of Education where I earned both my master’s and doctoral degrees,” Barnes said. “The faculty are dedicated to thoughtful scholarship and effective practice, which instilled in me a love for learning, inquiry and continuous improvement. The programs’ distinct focus on equity as well as social and economic justice has provided the beacon which has guided me throughout my career.”
Barnes is now the second CCLEAD alumna serving as a community college chancellor. Four other program alumni are current community college presidents, including Ashanti Hands (’94, ’14), who was named president of San Diego Mesa College in May.