Brian Sanders Appointed Modesto Junior College President

Brian Sanders, EdD ’14, a longtime instructor and administrator at Modesto Junior College, has been chosen to be the college’s next President.

The County of Yolo Welcomes a Changemaker in Dr. Tico Zendejas

Tico Zendejas, EdD ’19, was appointed as Yolo County’s first Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Manager in July 2023. Zendejas’s appointment marked a significant milestone in the County’s dedication to incorporating DEI principles within both the government and the community. With this appointment, Yolo County aimed to foster a more equitable and supportive environment where everyone feels seen and heard.

University of California, Davis, Chancellor Gary S. May has selected Pablo Guillermo Reguerín to be the next vice chancellor of Student Affairs. Reguerín currently serves as associate vice chancellor of student achievement and equity innovation at UC Santa Cruz, a position he’s held since 2017.

While in the CANDEL program, Cynthia Sommer (EdD ’18) rotated into various roles at California community college campuses, where the equity gap for Latinx students was troubling her. “Being a Latina and first-generation college student myself, I wasn’t comfortable with the easy story that these students were not ready for college or that their culture doesn’t appreciate having a higher education degree,” she said. “Given my own background and my experiences working with some of these students, I felt there was more to it.”

As the Director of Campus and Student Community Engagement, Vickie Gomez (EdD ’15) strives to make the initiatives and programs hosted at UC Davis as collaborative and responsive as possible. “How we communicate and build bridges between community members on campus and within the larger community all work toward building a better campus climate,” she said.

While others were exploring past civilizations or asking questions in a laboratory, Mayra Llamas (EdD ’17) spent her undergraduate days thinking about her peers and how to create a university that served their needs. “I started college at California State University, Monterey Bay one year after it opened and I was a tour guide and student assistant at the Student Information Center,” said Llamas. “I spent a lot of time thinking about recruitment and how to tailor a tour experience to certain groups with different goals in mind.

Lorena Ruedas Jauregui (’06, EdD ’16) is building her career in education around two ideas that have been important to her since the early years of her own education: inclusion and mentorship. “As a granddaughter of Mexican immigrants and a daughter of educators, I’m passionate about being an advocate for students from historically underserved populations,” she said.

Two things have been especially important to Thomas Whitcher (EdD ’18) throughout his career: education and interpersonal networks. “In all the various roles I’ve served at universities, I’ve always been fascinated by how teams operate and how to leverage people’s strengths to best support a team,” he said.

Mikael Villalobos (BA ‘93, EdD ‘14) has dedicated his career to diversity and inclusion within the field of higher education. In his current role at UC Davis as Associate Chief Diversity Officer with the Office of Campus Community Relations in the Office of the Chancellor, he strives to play an active role in building a more diverse and inclusive campus community. “Through education, this institution has the premise and promise for changing lives,” he said. “I firmly believe that it truly serves as the great equalizer.”