Dr. Rowena M. Tomaneng has dedicated more than 30 years to advancing multicultural education in the California Community Colleges system. Since 2024, she has served as Deputy Chancellor for the California Community Colleges, where she leads implementation of Vision 2030. Her work focuses on expanding equitable student access, success, and support through three strategic priorities: Equitable Baccalaureate Attainment, Workforce and Economic Development, and AI and the Future of Learning. She oversees seven divisions: Academic Affairs; Student Services; Workforce and Economic Development; Research, Analytics, and Data; Program Operations and System Initiatives; Equity, Innovation, and Institutional Effectiveness; and Strategic Educational and Workforce Initiatives.

Before joining the Chancellor’s Office, Dr. Tomaneng served as President of San José City College from 2020 to 2025 and President of Berkeley City College from 2016 to 2020. During her presidencies, she expanded Promise Programs in partnership with K–12 schools and universities to increase transfer opportunities for African American/Black, Asian American, and Latiné students.

Earlier in her career, Dr. Tomaneng held several leadership and faculty positions at De Anza College, including faculty member, Division Dean, and Associate Vice President of Instruction. There, she led the implementation of two federal Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISI) grants and directed the nationally recognized IMPACT AAPI program (Initiative to Maximize the Positive Achievement and Cultural Thriving of Asian American and Pacific Islander Students). She also co-founded the Vasconcellos Institute for Democracy in Action (VIDA).

In addition to her statewide leadership, Dr. Tomaneng serves as President of the Asian Pacific Americans in Higher Education (APAHE) Board of Directors, is a member of the American Council on Education (ACE) Strengthening Institutions Roundtable, and serves as a Commissioner for the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC).

Dr. Tomaneng’s teaching, research, and publications focus on human rights, social movements, transnational feminism, and racial equity in education. Her work has appeared in the Journal of Multicultural Perspectives and in books including Overcoming Educational Racism in the Community College and Transformative Practices for Minority Student Success: Accomplishments of Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions.

A first-generation immigrant from the Philippines and a community college transfer student from Cypress College, Dr. Tomaneng earned an Ed.D. in International and Multicultural Education, with a concentration in Human Rights Education, from the University of San Francisco. She also holds an M.A. in English from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a B.A. in English from the University of California, Irvine.