About Chancellor Rosa Pérez

During her four-decade career in postsecondary education leadership, San José/Evergreen Community College District Chancellor Rosa Pérez' mantra has always been "how can we make this happen?" A passionate, energetic leader who enjoys her interactions with students as much as she enjoys making contact with the community and its leaders, Chancellor Pérez very much subscribes to the phrase ¡si se puede! (yes we can!) while guiding San José City and Evergreen Valley Colleges, which serve the cities of San José and Milpitas.

The first in her family to attend and graduate from college, Chancellor Pérez is a firm believer in enduring opportunity for underserved students. A tireless champion of the right for educational opportunities for underserved students, including women and minorities, Chancellor Pérez very much believes that a community college district needs to be a part of the community it serves, and has worked to solidify relationships between the District and numerous San José elementary and high school districts via the Acuerdo, a promise to maximize educational opportunities for all students. She has re-established the Districtwide Instructional Development Day, and has brought KinderCaminata, a college-and-career-oriented day for kindergartners to start thinking about the importance of college to future career dreams, to both San José City and Evergreen Valley Colleges' campuses.

Prior to becoming Chancellor of San José/Evergreen Community College District, Chancellor Pérez served as president of Cañada College and vice president at three California community colleges: City College of San Francisco, Santiago Canyon College in Orange County, and at Chabot College in Hayward. She was also vice chancellor for the San Francisco Community College District.

Chancellor Pérez's commitment to athletics is evident in her previous appointments as varsity softball coach at City College of San Francisco, and athletic advisor at West Valley College as well as her own competitive play while attending Stanford University and in numerous leagues over the years. Chancellor Pérez served as Title IX Coordinator during its infancy at City College of San Francisco in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and remains one of its most committed supporters.

Chancellor Pérez serves on several educational policy and advisory boards, including the California State Curriculum Commission, the California Community College's Commission on Athletics, the CSU Chancellor's Advisory Board on Hispanic Issues, the National Board of Directors of the Hispanic Assn of Colleges and Universities (HACU), and the Board of Directors of the National Community College Hispanic Council (NCCHC). Local community service activities include Board of Directors for the San José YMCA, Board of Directors of the Role Model Program, Board of Directors of Project Cornerstone, and the Advisory Board of Somos Mayfair. She is frequently called upon by local media and community service organizations to speak about important community college issues, including diversity, leadership, workforce education, and providing opportunity to the underserved.

Chancellor Pérez was named by KGO-TV as one of the Bay Area's Outstanding Hispanics, and has made numerous television news appearances discussing issues of higher education, multiculturalism, equal opportunity and student rights. She has also received the Award for Excellence in Education by the California Chapter of the National Organization for Women, the Madrina Award from the Latina Leadership Network, "Woman of the Year" for California's 11th Senatorial District, and has contributed numerous op-ed articles to the San Francisco Chronicle, Bay Area BusinessWoman, and other print media. In 2007, San José's Mexican American Community Services Agency (MACSA) named Chancellor Pérez one of Silicon Valley's 100 Most Influential Latin@s, and in 2008, she received the prestigious Janet Gray Hayes Award for Outstanding Community Service.

Images of Chancellor Rosa Pérez are available for download at http://www.sjeccd.org/html/aboutus/pressreleases/chancellor_Perez_photos.zip.