August 23, 2021
Contact: Melissa Villarin
Office: 916-327-5365
Office E-mail: MVillarin@CCCCO.edu

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Community Colleges Acting Chancellor Daisy Gonzales issued the following statement on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s appointment of Joshua Elizondo, Irma L. Olguin Jr. and Roy A. Shahbazian and the reappointments of Jennifer Perry and Blas Villalobos to the California Community Colleges Board of Governors:

“We are delighted that board members Perry and Villalobos will continue their service, and are pleased to welcome Mr. Elizondo, Ms. Olguin and Mr. Shahbazian to the California Community Colleges Board of Governors as we work toward achieving the goals of the Vision for Success,” Gonzales said. “Our Board members represent the diversity of our state and they bring a combination of experience, perspectives and insight that will be of great value to our system and the lives of our students, their families and communities.”

Joshua Elizondo, of Los Angeles, has been Associated Students President at Santa Monica College since 2021 and was student trustee for the Board of Trustees from 2020 to 2021. He has been commissioner for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and founder and CEO of The Foster Bunch since 2017. He was summer intern at Television Academy in 2019. Elizondo is a member of the board of directors for California Youth Connection. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Elizondo is a Democrat.

Irma L. Olguin Jr., of Caruthers, has been co-founder and chief executive officer at Bitwise Industries since 2013 and co-founder of Hashtag Fresno since 2011. Olguin Jr. was co-founder and President at Edit LLC from 2011 to 2016.  She was co-founder of 59DaysOfCode from 2009 to 2016. Olguin Jr. was a professional geek at Geekwise from 1999 to 2013. She was a teacher at The Center for Advanced Research and Technology and at Fresno Unified School District from 2006 to 2007. Olguin Jr. is an advisory board member at REDF and a president’s advisory board member at California State University, Fresno. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Olguin Jr. is a Democrat.

Roy A. Shahbazian, 48, of Sacramento, has been Academic Senate President and professor of math at Rancho Santiago Community College District since 2001. He held multiple positions at the University of California, Irvine from 2002 to 2019, including Instructor and summer bridge math coordinator. Shahbazian was a Computer Science Instructor at Fullerton College from 2001 to 2003. Shahbazian was a software engineer at Odetics Inc. – Gyyr Division from 1998 to 2001. He is a member of the Orange County Transportation Authority Citizen Advisory Committee. Shahbazian earned a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Master of Science degree in mathematics from the University of California, Irvine. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Shahbazian is registered without party preference.

 

The California Community Colleges is the largest system of higher education in the nation, composed of 73 districts and 116 colleges serving 2.1 million students per year. California community colleges provide career education and workforce training; guaranteed transfer to four-year universities; degree and certificate pathways; and basic skills education in English and math. As the state’s engine for social and economic mobility, the California Community Colleges supports the Vision for Success, a strategic plan designed to improve student success outcomes, increase transfer rates and eliminate achievement gaps. For more information, please visit the California Community Colleges website or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

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