PDC 2023 - Workshop Descriptions
- Creating the Conditions for a Student Centered Ecosystem
- From Passion to Action: Serving CCC LGBTQ+ Student
- Meeting Requirements: Brown Act and Recent Legislation
- Meeting the Need: The Power of Peer-to-Peer Outreach
- Talk it out: Effective Practices for Advisors
- 5 Ways to Avoid Liability
- Are you Prepared? Emergency Preparedness in an Academic Setting
- Challenges to Academic Freedom & Faculty First Amendment Rights
- Exercising Your Management Rights
- Updates with Title IX and Academic Accommodations from OCR
- 5 Ways to Avoid Liability
- Are you Prepared? Emergency Preparedness in an Academic Setting
- Exercising Your Management Rights
- Practicing Self Care while Managing Student Stress
- Project Management Strategies for Change Management
- Combating Performative Practices: Black Educators
- Creating the Conditions for a Student Centered Ecosystem
- From Passion to Action: Serving CCC LGBTQ+ Students
- Project Management Strategies for Change Management
- Updates with Title IX and Academic Accommodations from OCR
5 Ways to Avoid Liability
Presented by Liebert Cassidy Whitmore
This interactive session will identify 5 steps you can take to lessen the probability of lawsuits, reduce the potential for liability, strengthen the student experience, and increase student engagement. We will also discuss questions attendees may have, including the recent legislation and case law. Discussion topics will include the following:
- How to deal with student events on campus;
- What to watch out for on field trips and during student travel;
- The importance of communication with students;
- The importance of following the law, policies, and regulations; and
- The importance of accountability.
"With over 25 years of experience in labor, employment, and education law, Eileen O'Hare-Anderson has an extensive background in the successful resolution of many employment, education-related, and business and facilities, issues. Her primary area of expertise is representing and advising community college districts in a general counsel role, in all phases of education-related matters, including general business issues. Eileen is experienced in representing community college districts in arbitration and administrative proceedings regarding discipline of permanent employees and the release of probationary faculty members. She has also conducted numerous investigations into various allegations including discrimination and harassment investigations. Eileen also has experience working with staff in the day-to-day issues which arise in the facilities and general business area including negotiating leases and agreements, contact review, easement issues and bidding questions.
Jenny Denny, an associate at Liebert Cassidy Whitmore's Los Angeles Office, provides assistance to clients in matters pertaining to employment law, litigation services, private education and public education law. Jenny works extensively with LCW's public and private education clients on a wide range of matters including responding to complaints of unlawful harassment or discrimination, academic and classified employee discipline and termination, employee performance management, disability accommodations, student discipline, and other student, faculty, and governance-related issues. Jenny draws on her previous experience as a public school teacher to be a dynamic presenter in Liebert Cassidy Whitmore's training program. She regularly trains public agency and community college employees in numerous areas including harassment prevention, supporting students with disabilities, compliance with Title IX and Title 5 sexual harassment laws and regulations and responding to sexual harassment complaints, first amendment analysis, mandatory reporting, and equal employment opportunity hiring. Jenny relies on her extensive training experience to provide proactive preventative advice and counsel to clients. Jenny is also the editor for the firm's public education monthly newsletter, Education Matters.
Are you Prepared? Emergency Preparedness in an Academic Setting
Presented by County of Fresno Office of Emergency Services
Terri Mejorado, Emergency Services
Richard Mejorado, Emergency Services Specialist
Participants to understand the need to prepare and have the tools to achieve preparedness. This interactive discussion based presentation on real-world examples to better prepare and understand the need to be prepared.
Personal Preparedness
- What do I need
- What do I have
- What do I need to know
Personal Preparedness Responsibilities
- How do I not become part of the emergency
- How can I help others
Work Preparedness
- How to prepare my office
- How to prepare my workspace (classroom, students)
- How to prepare my surroundings
- How to prepare my work place
Terri Mejorado is the Emergency Manager for the County of Fresno Office of Emergency Services. With over 20 years of crisis communication and emergency management coordination, Terri has been deployed throughout the State of California working in Emergency Operation Centers and Joint Information Centers in response to some of California’s worst disasters. Including wildfires, earthquakes, civil unrest, flooding, and the COVID19 pandemic. Terri holds certificates in Public Information and Emergency Management, was Logistics Chief for the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services Incident Management Team, a Type 1 credentialed PIO, a Bachelor’s Degree in Emergency Management and Homeland Security and is currently finishing her master’s degree in business administration. She is a certified instructor through the California Specialized Training Institute and adjunct instructor for Fresno Pacific University. Terri is married, has two daughters, and four grandchildren.
Richard Mejorado is an Emergency Services Specialist for the Tulare County Office of Emergency Services in Visalia California. He has 30 years of experience in Law Enforcement which includes 12 years with the City of Dinuba and 18 years with the California Department of Insurance. His experience includes Patrol Officer, Detective, Patrol Sergeant, Field Trainer, Training Manager, Fraud Investigator, and Enforcement Tactics Instructor. After retiring from law enforcement Richard began instructing and consulting for a company that provides schools, government agencies, and private corporations with active threat response training, emergency preparedness, and risk assessments. Richard is a graduate of the FEMA National Emergency Management Advanced Academy and holds a Bachelor of Science in Homeland Security and Emergency Management from National University.
Combating Performative Practices: Black Educators
This session addresses the experiences of many Black educators up and down the coast of California. Since the murder of George Floyd, while many colleges offered up statements and words, only some of them delivered on these promises leaving Black students and educators frustrated. This session seeks to free educators from the feelings of gaslighting and seeks to support educators in identifying and articulating the problems at their institution. The session offers practical solutions and strategies to some of these problems as educators continue to battle inequities.
Damien Danielly is the Dual Enrollment Coordinator at Los Angeles City College. Damien has an absolute passion for education and has dedicated his life to ensuring there is equity in education. Damien realizes he was fortunate enough to have a lot of opportunities and wants to help other minorities and undeserved populations have access to these opportunities as well. He recognizes that navigating systems that have so many systemic barriers is a challenge many cannot navigate and he wants to support organizations with removing these barriers. Damien’s career in education has spanned over 15 years covering for-profit and non-profit schools. Within the community college space, Damien serves as a leader within his school and the district he works for, Los Angeles Community College District. His most prominent roles in LACCD are leading the District Guided Pathways Career Exploration Unit and leading the District African-American Outreach Initiative Student Support Team. The wide variety of roles he’s served in career has allowed him to have a very bird’s eye view of education and helps with his problem solving capabilities. His educational background (MBA) brings a unique perspective to an industry and his niche groundbreaking research critically examining racial barriers for Black employees can be leveraged by organizations to dramatically increase the success rates of the school. Damien believes a balance life is critical to maximum health and success. He enjoys exercising, spending time with this family, video games, and having live experiences.
Challenges to Academic Freedom and Faculty First Amendment Rights
What does academic freedom mean, and what does it protect? How is it threatened today — by legislatures, by administrators, and by students — and how should faculty respond? What about the First Amendment right to freedom of expression — does it protect faculty off the job? Online? On campus? Join Will Creeley, Legal Director of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, as he answers these questions and more. Attendees will leave armed with knowledge of their rights after Will's review of legal precedent, institutional policies, and notable wins and losses from his sixteen years of defending faculty rights on campuses nationwide.
Since joining FIRE in 2006, Will has successfully defended expressive rights and core civil liberties nationwide. As Legal Director, Will coordinates FIRE’s legal advocacy and oversees FIRE’s Litigation, Legislative and Policy, Policy Reform, and Targeted Advocacy departments. He has appeared on national television and radio on FIRE’s behalf, and has spoken to thousands of students, faculty, administrators, and attorneys about First Amendment rights at events across the country. Barred in New York and Pennsylvania, Will is a member of the First Amendment Lawyers Association and serves as co-chair of the Education Subcommittee of the American Bar Association’s Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice. Will is a 2006 graduate of New York University School of Law, where he served as an associate executive editor for the New York University Law Review. Will graduated magna cum laude from New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study in 2003. A proud native of Buffalo, New York, Will now lives in New Jersey with his wife and two children.
Creating the Conditions for a Student Centered Ecosystem
Presented by California Community College Chancellor's Office
Understanding the Social Determinants of Educational Success framework will help the system make progress towards achieving the goals outlined in the Vision for Success by simultaneously focusing on students' immediate challenges and the structural inequities that create the conditions leading to inequitable outcomes. By shifting the burden from students to systems, and institutions, this framework actualizes Guided Pathways as the system centers the whole student by removing barriers that prevent students from staying on their educational paths. At its core, this framework advances the system’s equity efforts by addressing root causes of structural inequities that impact all students, but particularly historically underserved students. By dismantling these structural inequities, the system can advance equity and social and economic mobility. This workshop will discuss multiple programs and how they can help develop a more Student-Centered Support Ecosystem approach.
Michael Quiaoit (Key-ow-it) is currently a Dean in the Office of Equitable Student Learning, Experience, and Impact at the California Community College Chancellor's Office. Michael oversees multiple programs statewide: Student Equity and Achievement, Guided Pathways, Distance Education, LGBTQ+, Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Student Achievement, and Native American Student Success and Support. He has a baccalaureate in Rhetoric from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master in Public Administration from California State University, Stanislaus. Michael has over 25 years of experience in higher education. He has worked as a Financial Aid Counselor, Policy Analyst, Project Director, Marketing Director, and Program Specialist in both four-year and two-year college environments.
Mia Keeley joined the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office in October of 2013. She has held various positions across divisions, most currently as a Dean in Educational Services overseeing multiple categorical programs. She has twenty years of experience as an educator working in a variety of public education settings with diverse student populations. Prior to joining the Chancellor's Office, Mia was a high school counselor. Her experience at the Chancellor's Office, in conjunction with her time as a high school counselor, have given her a broad understanding of student needs and the California Community Colleges system as a whole. She holds a Master's of Science in Educational Counseling.
Exercising Your Management Rights
Presented by Liebert Cassidy Whitmore
Do you have the latest information about your rights and labor relations responsibilities as a community college administrator, manager, or supervisor? Are the administrators, supervisors, and managers you supervise sufficiently informed about their responsibilities? This workshop highlights the importance of knowing a district’s legal rights and responsibilities, training administrators, managers, and supervisors to exercise management rights in a way that can increase operational efficiency while complying with the district's legal obligations. Exercises help you learn to apply legal and management principles in your own work situation. This workshop provides an overview regarding such topics as:
- Management’s Rights and Limitations
- Union and Employee Rights
- Bargaining laws and practices
- Past Practices
"With over 25 years of experience in labor, employment, and education law, Eileen O'Hare-Anderson has an extensive background in the successful resolution of many employment, education-related, and business and facilities, issues. Her primary area of expertise is representing and advising community college districts in a general counsel role, in all phases of education-related matters, including general business issues. Eileen is experienced in representing community college districts in arbitration and administrative proceedings regarding discipline of permanent employees and the release of probationary faculty members. She has also conducted numerous investigations into various allegations including discrimination and harassment investigations. Eileen also has experience working with staff in the day-to-day issues which arise in the facilities and general business area including negotiating leases and agreements, contact review, easement issues and bidding questions.
Jenny Denny, an associate at Liebert Cassidy Whitmore's Los Angeles Office, provides assistance to clients in matters pertaining to employment law, litigation services, private education and public education law. Jenny works extensively with LCW's public and private education clients on a wide range of matters including responding to complaints of unlawful harassment or discrimination, academic and classified employee discipline and termination, employee performance management, disability accommodations, student discipline, and other student, faculty, and governance-related issues. Jenny draws on her previous experience as a public school teacher to be a dynamic presenter in Liebert Cassidy Whitmore's training program. She regularly trains public agency and community college employees in numerous areas including harassment prevention, supporting students with disabilities, compliance with Title IX and Title 5 sexual harassment laws and regulations and responding to sexual harassment complaints, first amendment analysis, mandatory reporting, and equal employment opportunity hiring. Jenny relies on her extensive training experience to provide proactive preventative advice and counsel to clients. Jenny is also the editor for the firm's public education monthly newsletter, Education Matters.
From Passion to Action: Serving CCC LGBTQ+ Students
Presented by Foundation for California Community Colleges
This presentation will track the history of the California Community College LGBTQ+ Summit and the efforts by faculty, students, and administrators to make our system more welcoming and affirming to queer and trans students. We will also unveil an exciting partnership between the FoundationCCC and the CCC LGBTQ+ Summit to support institutional changes that will enable all 116 campuses to better serve our LGBTQ+ students. Find out more about what is next on our horizon!
Kelly Ramos is a Program Manager in Equity at the Foundation for California Community Colleges. She oversees system-wide programming for LGBTQ+ Initiatives and Student Support, Current and Former Foster Youth Support, Digital Equity, and Financial Literacy. Kelly also has over 14 years of experience working in the community college system in academic student support programming, student services, and implementation of HSI STEM and HSI grant initiatives.
Michael Quiaoit (Key-ow-it) is currently a Dean in the Office of Equitable Student Learning, Experience, and Impact at the California Community College Chancellor's Office. Michael oversees multiple programs statewide: Student Equity and Achievement, Guided Pathways, Distance Education, LGBTQ+, Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Student Achievement, and Native American Student Success and Support. He has a baccalaureate in Rhetoric from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master in Public Administration from California State University, Stanislaus. Michael has over 25 years of experience in higher education. He has worked as a Financial Aid Counselor, Policy Analyst, Project Director, Marketing Director, and Program Specialist in both four-year and two-year college environments.
Cole Forstedt is the Director of Equity Programs for the Foundation for California Community Colleges. With 18 years of experience in nonprofit administration, Cole supports the team who leads statewide efforts related to providing resources and programs for students in areas of basic needs and programs for specific communities. In addition, Cole is a part-time faculty at California State University, Sacramento, where he teaches classes related to nonprofit administration.
Meeting the Need: The Power of Peer-to-Peer Outreach
Presented by Foundation for California Community Colleges
Help meet the needs of your students by harnessing the power of peer-to-peer outreach. Trusted recommendations come from people we know. That’s why FoundationCCC has created the Student Ambassador Program to train students to become trusted leaders on your campus to share programs and resources that impact student success. In this session you will learn about the peer-to-peer model and how to meet the needs of students by bringing this model to your college. Peer-to-peer outreach connects students with leadership opportunities, basic needs resources, and maximizes your efforts to support students.
Sally Fifield is a Equity Programs Manager for the Foundation for California Community Colleges. With a background in nonprofit programming and food banking, Sally leads statewide efforts to connect students with basic needs resources and public benefit programs. Sally also oversees the FoundationCCC’s Student Ambassador Program which trains CCC students about peer-to-peer outreach.
Cole Forstedt is the Director of Equity Programs for the Foundation for California Community Colleges. With 18 years of experience in nonprofit administration, Cole supports the team who leads statewide efforts related to providing resources and programs for students in areas of basic needs and programs for specific communities. In addition, Cole is a part-time faculty at California State University, Sacramento, where he teaches classes related to nonprofit administration.
Meeting Requirements: Brown Act and Recent Legislation
Presented by Student Senate for California Community Colleges
Meeting teleconference guidelines are changing. During the COVID state of emergency the past two years, the law was amended to allow certain exceptions to legislative bodies. Since the governor has withdrawn the state of emergency, those exemptions to Brown Act are no longer valid. Join this workshop to learn how Brown Act affects your SBA and how you as an advisor can assist your students with holding a compliant meeting.
Stephen Kodur (He/Him/His), Community Organizer, is a graduate of the California community college system and a staunch advocate for community college students. As a student advocate, he has fought for basic needs resources, financial aid reform, student empowerment, as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion policy changes to name a few key issues. Prior to the SSCCC, Stephen worked with other nonprofit organizations and school districts to train and equip young people to prepare for their future. He has held positions as both an after-school program coordinator and physical education teacher all the while going to community college. This spring, Stephen graduated from Reedley College with degrees in Communications and Political Science and will be transferring next Spring. Stephen has also served within the SSCCC organization and has held various leadership positions. His goal has always been and will continue to be, as the SSCCC Community Organizer, to bring more students into the organization that gave him a place and purpose during his community college journey. He currently resides in the Central Valley and loves to golf in his spare time.
Dr. Julie Adams has been the Executive Director of the Student Senate for California Community Colleges for four years. Prior to joining the Student Senate, Julie provided, for more than 20 years, the organizational oversight of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges, served as the transition manager for Umoja Community Foundation, and started her own business -- Agile Association Management Solutions. She has also been a part-time faculty member at Cosumnes River College in Sacramento. Her experience with nonprofits and in the classroom provides the foundation for her work with the Student Senate.
Practicing Self Care while Managing Student Stress
We all have a lot on our own plates, and with the surge in basic needs supports, pandemic recovery efforts, natural disasters, and preparing for another pending crisis it is getting harder to find space to just relax. Maybe you are looking for ideas and/or suggestions on how to add you to your calendar. You might want to live vicariously through other folks. Whatever you motivation, I invite you to come spend some time in the self care lab. We will talk about why it is important for practitioners to invest in wellness routines. We will share some adventure ideas, and explore different self care models.
Alta Cilicia Northcutt is the Director,Student Life and Welcome Services at Cabrillo College. She has worked in higher education for 24 years under the Student Services component at Cabrillo College. She has served in the capacities of Member Relations, Chief Steward, negotiator, and President in the Classified Union before being moved into a management role. She holds a Bachelor's and Masters degree in Leadership and Management and try to apply my knowledge and years of experience in the field in a way that supports and promotes leadership. She has been an advocate for my whole life and now is using platforms to encourage and support Self Care while caring for others.
Project Management Strategies for Change Management
Presented by Beyond the Concrete
The workshop will provide samples and discussion about how project management strategies and techniques can be applied towards institutional change and the implementation of equity programs. Attendees will learn how to apply a broad and holistic lens upon the work, and design and effective communication and implementation plan for executing change. Case studies will be used as a group exercise to apply and discuss learning.
Michelle Vidaurri is a consultant with Beyond the Concrete and also currently serves as the Director of Student Engagement and Support Services at Santa Rosa Junior College. Michelle, a community college alumna holds an MBA and has worked in student affairs and within the California Community College system for 18 years. She has successfully implemented equity programs and policy change through her desire for social and racial justice and project management acumen. She aims to share her strategies with other change makers.
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Talk it out: Effective Practices for Advisors
Presented by Student Senate for California Community Colleges
We understand that as SBA advisors, you come to your position with a range of backgrounds and are assigned many different responsibilities. Then each year, you are expected to train a new set of student leaders about issues that you may not know about or understand. Recognizing those challenges, SSCCC hosted workshops and surveys with students and advisors to explore the ideal qualifications advisors should have to best support students. As we conclude this year, it's time to plan for the fall and unlock the secrets to advisor success by identifying resources as they empower student leaders. Students in this workshop will inform our work on effective practices for student life advisors.
Dr. Julie Adams has been the Executive Director of the Student Senate for California Community Colleges for four years. Prior to joining the Student Senate, Julie provided, for more than 20 years, the organizational oversight of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges, served as the transition manager for Umoja Community Foundation, and started her own business -- Agile Association Management Solutions. She has also been a part-time faculty member at Cosumnes River College in Sacramento. Her experience with nonprofits and in the classroom provides the foundation for her work with the Student Senate.
Stephen Kodur (He/Him/His), Community Organizer, is a graduate of the California community college system and a staunch advocate for community college students. As a student advocate, he has fought for basic needs resources, financial aid reform, student empowerment, as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion policy changes to name a few key issues. Prior to the SSCCC, Stephen worked with other nonprofit organizations and school districts to train and equip young people to prepare for their future. He has held positions as both an after-school program coordinator and physical education teacher all the while going to community college. This spring, Stephen graduated from Reedley College with degrees in Communications and Political Science and will be transferring next Spring. Stephen has also served within the SSCCC organization and has held various leadership positions. His goal has always been and will continue to be, as the SSCCC Community Organizer, to bring more students into the organization that gave him a place and purpose during his community college journey. He currently resides in the Central Valley and loves to golf in his spare time.
Updates with Title IX and Academic Accommodations from OCR
Presented by U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights
The San Francisco Office for Civil Rights (OCR) will provide information on how to navigate the rights of students and members of the campus community under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Ava and Sara will first describe the requirements postsecondary institutions must follow to respond to notice of sexual harassment and sexual assault, including definitions of sexual harassment and hostile environment, formal notice, adequate investigative procedures, and supportive measures for both the complainants and respondents. Ava and Sara will also provide a brief presentation on the legal requirements governing the provision of academic adjustments and supports for students with disabilities, such as extended testing and access to class materials and notes. Ava and Sara will share examples of case findings and resolutions as part of the presentation, and provide the audience with fact patterns to discuss.
Ava De Almeida Law
Team Leader Investigator
Sara Berman
Supervisory Attorney