ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITMENT TOTHE BASIC SKILLS INITIATIVE

OPEN SESSION CCCBSI2009 LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE JUNE 2009

DATE: THURSDAY JUNE 18, 2009TIME: 7:00-9:00 PMLOCATION: ROOM 28, BURK HALLSAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY, 1600 HOLLOWAY AVENUE SAN FRANCISCO, CA94132PRESENTORS: RITA M. CEPEDA, PRESIDENT SAN DIEGO MESA COLLEGE, BERNADINECHUCK FONG, PRESIDENT EMERITA, FOOTHILL COLLEGE, AND MARTHA J. KANTER,NOMINEE FOR UNDER SECRETARY OF EDUCATION(DEPENDENT ON SCHEDULE).

Inherent to the Basic Skills Initiative is an Institutional commitment to equity for all students.How can California Community College administrators lead the effort to support students withbasic skills needs by allocating funding and providing instructional and student services? Jointhe discussion with leaders in these efforts.

CONTACTS:Deborah Harrington, BSI Project Director, DHarrington@email.laccd.edu Lisa Brewster, San Diego Network Coordinator, lbrewste@sdccd.edu Nancy Cook ,Sacramento/Central Valley Network Coordinator, ncook@sierracollege.edu Daryl Kinney, Los Angeles Network Coordinator, kinneyd@lacitycollege.edu Anniqua Rana, Bay Area Network Coordinator, rana@smccd.edu

RITA M. CEPEDA, PRESIDENT SAN DIEGOMESA COLLEGE

Rita M. Cepeda has served since July 2005 as president of San DiegoMesa College, and is its first Latina president. She began her careerin the community colleges in 1980 and has served as a collegepresident for the past ten years. A naturalized citizen, Dr. Cepedacame to the United States when she was 11, learning English as asecond language. She is a product of the California public school system. She earned a

bachelor’s degree in communications disorders and a master’s degree in clinical psychology

from California State University Long Beach. Rita went on to earn a doctorate of educationfrom the University of Southern California. Her professional affiliations include: BoardMember, California Basic Skills Initiative, and the Community College Advisory Committeeon Legislation, the Intersegmental Coordinating Council and the Latina Leadership Network of the California Community Colleges. Locally, President Cepeda sits on numerouscommunity boards and committees, including San Diego United Way, the San Diego Dropout Task Force, the Sand Diego Youth Services Council, San Diego Workforce Partnership andthe San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) Regional Economic Prosperity

Strategy Committee. In November 2008, she received the prestigious “Women Who Mean

Busines

s Award” for the San Diego Business Journal followed by the 2008 National Diversity

Award from Minority Access Inc.

BERNADINE CHUCK FONG, PRESIDENTEMERITA, FOOTHILL COLLEGE

Distinguished by her track record for innovation in education,Bernadine Chuck Fong is president emerita of Foothill Collegewhere she served as president for 12 years. Before retiring in June2006, Bernadine led Foothill in becoming one of the first community colleges to offer credit courses via the internet andinitiated Foothill's highly successful Campus Abroad Program in nine countries. Bernadineis currently a visiting scholar at Stanford University's Institute for Higher EducationResearch.Bernadine currently serves on several boards including the Carnegie Foundation for theAdvancement of Teaching, the Academy of Art University, John W. Gardner Center for Youthand Communities, SunGard Corporation Executive Advisory Council and the AmericanInstitute for Foreign Study Board of Academic Advisors. She is a fellow of the American

Leadership Forum of Silicon Valley and ACE, and was recently named ”Phenomenal Woman”

for 2002, an award given by Chicago's Harold Washington College chapter of the AmericanAssociation of Women in Community Colleges. She received her bachelors, masters, andPh.D. degrees from Stanford University.

MARTHA J. KANTER,

CHANCELLOR OF THEFOOTHILL-DE ANZA COMMUNITY COLLEGEDISTRICT

Martha J. Kanter currently serves as Chancellor of the Foothill-DeAnza Community College District, one of the largest communitycollege districts in the country, serving more than 44,000 students.Prior to her tenure at De Anza College, Kanter served as VicePresident of Instruction and Student Services at San Jose City College where she formerlyworked as a teacher and created th

e school’s first program for students with learning

disabilities. Kanter also served as a Director, Dean and subsequently Vice Chancellor forPolicy and Research of the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office in Sacramento.Kanter earned her bachelor's degree from Brandeis University, a master's in education fromHarvard University and a doctorate in organization and leadership from the University of San Francisco. Kanter has taught across the country and currently serves as National Chairof the Community College Advisory Panel of The College Board.