Alumna Julianna Barnes Chosen to Lead South OC Community College District

By Michael Klitzing

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. 

 

COE's Statement on the Tragic School Shooting in Uvalde, Texas

A message to the SDSU College of Education community from Dean Y. Barry Chung:

As people who devote our lives to education, the horror we witnessed yesterday at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas is hard to process. We mourn for the 19 children and two teachers killed in this act of senseless violence. Our hearts go out to the surviving students, school professionals, and families forever changed by this tragedy. 

Alumna Ashanti Hands Named President of San Diego Mesa College

By Michael Klitzing

A two-time graduate of San Diego State University will now lead San Diego’s largest community college. Ashanti Hands (’94, ’14), an alumna of the Community-Based Block (CBB) master’s program and Ed.D. in Community College Leadership (CCLEAD) has been appointed president of San Diego Mesa College. 

 

Part of the San Diego Community College District, Mesa has an enrollment of more than 30,000 students per year. Hands has been at the college since 2008, serving as vice president of student services since 2016. In announcing the hire, the school praised her adoption of data-informed decision making to ensure equitable outcomes. 

Ed Leadership Doctoral Alumni Honored With SDCOE’s Lighthouse Awards

From left, Amy Illingworth ('15) and Cynthia Larkin (’13)

By COE News Team 

 

San Diego State University alumni Amy Illingworth ('15) and Cynthia Larkin (’13) were honored as “beacons in the education community” at the San Diego County Office of Education's (SDCOE) annual Lighthouse Awards. 

 

Illingworth, assistant superintendent of educational services at Encinitas Union School District, earned the Equity Champion award. Larkin, principal at San Diego’s Morse High School, earned the Turnaround School Site Leader award. Both are graduates of SDSU’s Educational Leadership (PK-12) Ed.D. program.