Event Details
What: NCPC Luncheon, Women Leading Change in North County
A panel discussion of women in higher education leadership and the importance of inclusivity and community partnerships to elevate our region.
When: Monday, March 20, 2023, 12 PM – 2 PM
Registration: 11:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Panel Discussion and Luncheon: 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Where: Cal State San Marcos
Ticket Cost: $45 NCPC Members | $65 Non-members
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Speaker Bios
Dr. Ellen Neufeldt, CSUSM President
Since becoming the fourth president of California State University in July 2019, Dr. Ellen Neufeldt has focused on engaging, interacting, listening, and building relationships with students, faculty, staff, alumni and community constituents.
President Neufeldt is firmly committed to ensuring that Cal State San Marcos is a diverse, inclusive and welcome home for students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members. Focusing throughout her career on student success and student social mobility, she cares deeply about being part of the solution to creating pathways for students to achieve their dreams.
Each day she works toward making CSUSM a national model for guiding students throughout the student life cycle so that they become engaged and active alumni in the community while fueling the needs of the region. In November 2022, the university ranked first in the nation out of almost 1,500 colleges and universities in the Social Mobility Index – which measures the extent to which a university educates more economically disadvantaged students at lower tuition and graduates them into good paying jobs. CSUSM is also represented in the top 10 in the west on U.S. News & World Report’s Top Performers on Social Mobility Report.
Taking this commitment to student success and social mobility further, President Neufeldt championed an institutional strategic planning process. In spring 2022, after more than a year of gathering input, vision casting and prioritizing goals, CSUSM solidified its new institutional strategic plan, “The Power of CSUSM,” which will guide the campus for the next five years and beyond, building on CSUSM’s position as a regional higher education anchor institution and vehicle of student social mobility. Everything in The Power of CSUSM stems from CSUSM’s simple yet profound mission: student success.
Dr. Star Rivera-Lacey, President of Palomar Community College District
Dr. Star Rivera-Lacey continues her 25 years of progressive administrative and leadership community college experience as the new Superintendent/President of Palomar Community College District. Until her first official day as Superintendent/President, her extensive higher education experience was well grounded in Student Services and Instructional programming.
Previously held positions include serving as the first Vice President of Student Services at the San Diego College of Continuing Education (SDCCE), and as the Assistant Superintendent/Vice President of Student Services at Palomar College. She also served as the Dean of Counseling and Student Services at SDCCE, held leadership roles in various student support services, and was tenured Counseling Faculty at San Diego Mesa College. Dr. Rivera-Lacey currently serves as adjunct faculty in the university system.
Professional accomplishments also include being named as an Aspen Institute Rising Presidents Fellow (2020-2021) and a National Community College Hispanic Council Fellow (2018). Her leadership skills and qualifications include developing and implementing specialized programs for traditional, and nontraditional, student populations in both credit and noncredit educational settings. Dr. Rivera-Lacey has led integrated planning, student success and equity initiatives throughout her career. Her commitment to social justice drives her passion for educational reform, and her research interests center on student access to educational opportunities, student retention, and completion of educational goals for all students with a special emphasis on serving underserved populations.
She was born and raised in Oceanside, California and is proud to have started her post-secondary education at a community college. In addition, to a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies from California State University, San Marcos, and a master’s degree in Education, with an emphasis in multicultural counseling, from San Diego State University, Dr. Rivera-Lacey earned her Ph.D.in Education from the San Diego State/Claremont Graduate University joint doctoral program. Dr. Rivera-Lacey enjoys photography, running, and is a first-degree black belt in Shorin Ryu karate.
Sunita Cooke, Ph.D., Superintendent/President of MiraCosta Community College District
Dr. Sunita “Sunny” Cooke began her tenure as the superintendent/president of MiraCosta Community College District in 2015 and has been a recognized CA community college CEO for 15 years. Dr. Cooke came to MiraCosta from Grossmont College, located in east San Diego County, where she served as president for nearly eight years. She started as a faculty member and has been an educator for over 24 years after receiving her Ph.D. in Biology from Georgetown University.
Dr. Cooke has worked at local and state levels in economic and workforce development in Texas and California. In 2015, she chaired the Statewide Task Force on Workforce and a Strong Economy, ensuring that California state and the community college system remain vital leaders in this work. The work has resulted in an ongoing annual investment of approximately $248 million to enhance CA community college career education. She continues to chair the San Diego Regional Workforce collaborative efforts across ten community colleges.
Dr. Cooke is an active member of the greater San Diego community, state, and national boards, including the San Diego Regional Economic Development Council and she co-chairs its Inclusive Economic Development Steering Committee and Biocom. She serves on the board of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE), California Community Colleges Baccalaureate Association (CCCBA), and California Forward.