On Episode 28, Mac Powell, President & CEO of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, joins host Larry Galizio, Ph.D., to explore the vital role of accreditation in safeguarding educational integrity. Discover how systematic review and objectivity uphold consistency, even amid looming challenges from potential federal policy changes, ensuring the quality and trust essential to the future of community and junior college education.

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About our guest:
Mac Powell joined the ACCJC team in July 2022. Dr. Powell served as Senior Vice President of the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities and supported the agency’s 163 institutions and 1.3 million students for five years. His career in higher education also includes serving as president of three universities, including John F. Kennedy University, where he led the institution’s successful efforts to become a service-learning institution and a federally recognized and funded Hispanic Serving Institution. Dr. Powell has contributed to the strategic direction of higher education through his service as Chair of the American Council of Education’s Commission on Educational Attainment and Innovation, as a Commissioner on the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Commission, as a graduate of the WASC Assessment Leadership Academy, and as Chair of the Council of Applied Master’s Programs in Psychology. 

In Episode 27, host Larry Galizio, Ph.D., visits with Pamila Fisher, co-founder of the Asilomar Leadership Skills Seminar, as the program enters its fourth decade. Dr. Fisher shares a brief history of the seminar's history and growth, and the focus on women's leadership issues as they have changed since 1984.

Applications for the 2025 Asilomar Leadership Skills Seminar are accepted through January 2025.

Dr. Pamila Fisher founded this seminar in 1984 and since served as its director, successfully mentoring many women into positions of leadership. Dr. Fisher is chancellor emeritus of the Yosemite Community College District and has held statewide and national community college leadership roles. She was facilitator for AACC’s Future Leadership Institutes for 10 years and consults widely for individual colleges, districts, and systems in areas related to leadership, diversity, and cultural proficiency, communications, and team building. Dr. Fisher also conducts presidential searches and board retreats as an associate of the Association of Community College Trustees. 

In Episode 26, host Larry Galizio, Ph.D., visits with Rebekah Kalleen, executive director of the Community College Facility Coalition. On November 5, 2024, Californians will have the chance to vote on Proposition 2, the Public Education Facilities Bond Measure. This initiative seeks to issue $10 billion in bonds, with $8.5 billion earmarked for upgrading elementary and secondary educational facilities and $1.5 billion dedicated to community college improvements. Proposition 2 will modernize local schools and community colleges, enhancing science, engineering, career technical, and vocational education classrooms, labs, and learning technologies. This investment will provide students with advanced job training, technical knowledge, and specialized skills, better preparing them for high-paying careers.

Visit the League's Prop 2 page for a community college-specific toolkit. Visit the  YesonProp2 site for more in-depth information and to sign up for email updates.

In Episode 25, Larry Galizio, Ph.D. visits with Trustee Jonathan Abboud from Santa Barbara City College, and Trustee Sonia Lopez from Compton Community College District about what it means to be a Millennial Trustee. They both explore what made them decide to run for Trustee as a young professional and the value age diversity has brought to community college boards as the community of millennial trustees has grown statewide.

In Episode 24, Larry Galizio, Ph.D. visits with Evergreen Valley College Dean of Nursing and Allied Health, S. Lu Crary, and EVC nursing student, Alma Arevalo. They discuss the importance of access to and diversity in nursing academic programs, the expanding and acute need for nurses in California health care, and the impact that SB 895 (Sen. Richard Roth) could have to students and communities. SB 895 presents a pilot opportunity for California's community colleges to offer bachelor's degrees in nursing, providing an affordable and immediate pathway for nursing education.

Learn more about SB 895, legislation to pilot BSNs at California community colleges.
Visit Evergreen Valley College's site for Nursing and Allied Health 

In Episode 23, Larry Galizio, Ph.D. visits with statewide student leaders Cassandra Flandre-Nguyen, president, Student Senate for California Community Colleges (SSCCC), and Nicole Nguyen, student trustee on the California Community College Trustees (CCCT) Board. They share stories about their personal higher education journeys, insight into issues important issues for community college students, and how their leadership in their organization serves to support 1.9 million students throughout the state.

Learn more about the Student Senate for California Community Colleges (SSCCC).
Learn more about the California Community College Trustees (CCCT) Board.

In Episode 22, Larry Galizio, Ph.D. speaks with Keith Buffinton, Ph.D., Executive Director, and Richard K. Miller, Ph.D.,  Founding Chair of the Coalition for Transformational Education, about the mission of the coalition, how it was founded, and the importance higher education has on student lives and mental health after graduation. 

Learn more about the Coalition at thecte.org  

In Episode 21, Larry Galizio, Ph.D., visits with incoming presidents for the Chief Executive Officers of the California Community Colleges (CEOCCC) Board and California Community Colleges Trustees (CCCT) Board. They discuss their enthusiasm for CCC Chancellor Christian's student-centered initiatives, community colleges' roles in supporting California's green economy, and what influenced their leadership journeys.

His guests include:
Julianna Barnes, Ed.D., Chancellor, South Orange County Community College District; President, Chief Executive Officers of the California Community Colleges (CEOCCC) Board; and Chair, League Board of Directors.
Andra Hoffman, Trustee, Los Angeles Community College District; President, California Community Colleges Trustees (CCCT) Board.

In this episode, League President & CEO Larry Galizio, Ph.D., talks with California Community Colleges Chancellor Sonya Christian, Ph.D. She has more than three decades of experience at all levels of community college leadership and is the first woman named to the permanent role leading the 116-college system. Together, they talk about her family's commitment to education, the importance of equity for students and communities, and dual enrollment opportunities as a seamless gateway to college. 

In this episode, Dr. Larry Galizio talks with California community college leaders as they advocate for baccalaureate degree programs for in-demand careers throughout the state. Together, they discuss the importance of higher education for place-bound students and regional economies, and the community partnerships that affirm the need for these industry-specific degrees. His guests include:

• Constance M. Carroll, Ph.D., President and CEO of the California Community College Baccalaureate Association and Chancellor Emerita, San Diego Community College District
• Judy Miner, Ed.D., Chair of the California Community College Baccalaureate Association and Chancellor, Foothill-De Anza Community College
• Pamela T. Luster, Ed.D., Vice Chair of the California Community College Baccalaureate Association and President Emerita, San Diego Mesa College