July 01, 2021
Contact: Melissa Villarin
Office: 916-327-5365
Office E-mail: MVillarin@CCCCO.edu

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Community Colleges Chancellor and University of California Regent Eloy Ortiz Oakley issued the following statement on the appointment of Regent Cecilia V. Estolano to chair of the U.C. Board of Regents for 2021-22:

“Estolano, who served as president of the California Community Colleges Board of Governors, is a champion of community colleges and its 2.1 million students. She will lead the Board of Regents with great expertise and compassion, holding up equity as a guiding light for California. As someone who helped usher in the California Community Colleges Vision for Success, which aims to close racial and regional equity gaps, Chair Estolano is uniquely qualified to help advance areas of common interest, including transfer between the two systems.”

Estolano takes on her new role today, previously serving as the Board of Regents vice chair. She is the CEO and founder of Estolano Advisors, an urban planning and public policy firm, and the CEO of Better World Group, an environmental policy and advocacy group. Estolano was the deputy chair of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Review Team, Energy and Environment Group for the Obama presidential transition team. She has also served as CEO of the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles, of counsel at the law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, senior policy advisor with the EPA, and environmental policy advisor to former Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley.

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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