BERKELEY—Berkeley City College President Rowena Tomaneng received the 2016 Asian Pacific American Leadership Institute’s (APALI) award for outstanding leadership and community service at the organization’s annual banquet held Fri., Aug. 19, in Cupertino, CA.  APALI encourages civic participation, community development, and identity security.  It also addresses issues such as racial stereotypes, workplace/social glass-ceilings, and civic representation.

 

“This is a great honor and I am delighted to be part of an organization which fosters civic engagement and which addresses social challenges that Asian Americans must face today,” she said.

“More than ever, it is important that we strive to build community and foster social equity and economic opportunity for everyone.”

 

Tomaneng assumed the presidency of Berkeley City College on July 18, 2016.

“BCC’s location provides the college with many opportunities. Not only are we situated next to San Francisco Bay, we are partners with major cultural, technological, and educational centers,” she noted. “There exists a strong mutual support network among us and our neighborhood organizations, city government, businesses, local school districts and universities. This solid foundation benefits everyone in our community.”

 

Prior to her appointment at BCC, she was for six years De Anza College’s associate vice president of instruction.  Her responsibilities included the academic services division, the Office of Equity, Social Justice and Multicultural Education; the Office of Professional Development, Pathways programs (Learning Communities of Umoja, Puente, First Year Experience, and IMPACT AAPI) and the Vasconcellos Institute for Democracy in Action (VIDA) where, in 2006, she was a founding co-director and developed many community and educational partnerships.

 

Tomaneng was a full-time English instructor at De Anza College from 1996 to 2010, teaching all levels of composition and literature.  She was English Department chair for three years and led initiatives to foster equity in faculty hiring and cultural competency.  She served for two years as interim dean of De Anza’s Language Arts Division, and supervised over 175 full-time and part-time faculty.

 

BCC’s new president has actively engaged in culturally focused local, regional and national organizations and has led advocacy campaigns for immigrant rights and community policing with organizations such as the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns, USA and the Coalition for Justice and Accountability in San Jose, CA.  She wrote for and contributed to a variety of publications and serves on the advisory board for the Association of American Colleges and Universities’ Diversity and Democracy publication.

 

In December, when Tomaneng completes her dissertation on the educational dimensions of Filipina migrant workers’ activist identities at the University of San Francisco, she will receive a doctorate in international/multicultural education, with a concentration in human rights education.  She holds a master’s degree in English from UC Santa Barbara and a bachelor’s degree in English from UC Irvine.

 

The Peralta Community College District serves the communities of Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland and Piedmont.  The district includes Berkeley City College, College of Alameda, Laney College, and Merritt College.  In addition to providing two-year programs that prepare students for long-term educational goals, Peralta also offers specialized life-long learning opportunities to Bay Area residents.

 

Read “Introducing BCC President Rowena Tomameng” in the Fall 2016 issue of BCC Today for more information about our new President.