August 07, 2018
Christina Jimenez
T 916.322.4004
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Community Colleges Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley issued the following statement on Gov. Jerry Brown’s appointment of two new California Community Colleges Board of Governors, Amy Costa and Blas Villalobos:
“It is an honor to welcome Costa and Villalobos to the Board of Governors,” said Chancellor Oakley. “These two appointees will bring a wealth of expertise and experience in public service that they will apply in the service of our 2.1 million students. Our team looks forward to working with them to advance student success and achieve the goals outlined in the Vision for Success.”
Oakley also expressed congratulations to Board of Governors President Cecilia V. Estolano, who was appointed by Gov. Brown to serve on the University of California Board of Regents. Estolano will step down from her community college leadership role to focus on her new appointment:
“I want to extend my gratitude to Ms. Estolano for her years of service with the Board of Governors,” said Oakley, who also serves on the Board of Regents. “It has been a pleasure to work alongside President Estolano. We wish her the best, and I am confident she will continue to improve the resources and lives of students in her new role.”
Costa, 41, of Alameda, has been chief deputy director for budget at the California Department of Finance since 2016, where she served as advisor to the director on higher education from 2014 to 2016. She was an account lead at Blue Beyond Consulting from 2012 to 2014 and director of state and local government relations at Safeway Inc. from 2010 to 2012. Costa served as associate director of advocacy and state relations at the California State University Chancellor’s Office from 2009 to 2010. She served as policy director in the Office of California State Senator Dean Florez from 2008 to 2009, as a policy consultant in the Office of California State Senate President pro Tempore Don Perata from 2005 to 2008 and district director in the Office of California State Senator Don Perata from 2001 to 2005.
Villalobos, 37, of Lakewood, has been director of veteran affairs at Chapman University since 2018. He served as manager in the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office of Veterans Affairs from 2015 to 2017. Villalobos was executive director of community programs and veteran services at U.S. Veterans Initiatives from 2012 to 2015, where he was a case manager from 2009 to 2011. He was a graduate intern at the Long Beach Veterans Affairs Medical Center from 2011 to 2012 and at El Nido Family Centers from 2010 to 2011. Villalobos was an outreach worker at U.S. Veterans Initiatives, Long Beach from 2008 to 2009. He served in several positions in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1999 to 2003, including as private, private first class, lance corporal, corporal and sergeant. Villalobos earned a Master of Social Work degree in social work from the University of Southern California.
The California Community Colleges is the largest system of higher education in the nation, composed of 73 districts and 115 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 web site or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
