Berkeley City College is honored to share that Lissette Flores is joining our community as the new Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Director. Prior to joining BCC, Lissette served as the Associate Director for the Latinx Center of Excellence in Behavioral Health at the UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare. There, she managed a federal grant to recruit and train undergraduate and graduate Latinx students dedicated to serving the behavioral health needs of Latinx communities in the Bay Area. A community college transfer student, Lissette received her bachelor’s degree in Social Welfare from UC Berkeley and her Master’s in Public Health from UCLA. Supporting the academic and professional development of underrepresented students is the common thread in all of Lissette’s professional work. She is overjoyed to be working at BCC.
Izabela “Izzie” Villanueva, M.S. (pronouns: they/ them/theirs) is joining Berkeley City College as the inaugural Basic Needs Coordinator. Izzie received their Bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Asian American Studies with minors in Education and Sexuality Studies from UC Davis and received their Master’s degree in Critical Ethnic and Community Studies from UMass Boston. Inspired by the resiliency of their communities and the desire to empower students, Izzie has worked as an educator in different K-12 and higher education systems for over 8 years. Izzie will continue to build upon the efforts of the BCC Basic Needs team to create more resources for students around food security & CalFresh, housing, transportation, and more. Please join us in welcoming Izzie to the BCC family!
Berkeley City College is pleased to welcome Multimedia faculty member Kelly Whalen! Kelly has more than 25 years of professional practice as a documentary director, producer, cinematographer, and editor. Most recently she worked as a senior video producer at San Francisco’s PBS/NPR affiliate KQED, where she created and led numerous Emmy-winning shorts, series, and long-form documentaries featuring the region’s artists and culture makers. The KQED documentary she directed and edited, “When the Waters Get Deep,” a story about healing from gun violence, won Best Short at the Oakland International Film Festival and the National Black Film Festival. Prior to teaching at Berkeley City College, Kelly taught at San Francisco State University, the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Miami, and Eastern Europe. She earned a master’s of journalism from the University of California at Berkeley.
Berkeley City College is excited to announce Counseling Faculty Susan Truong, M.S. is serving as the Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI) Faculty Project Coordinator this spring 2023 semester! In her role, she will be coordinating activities of the grant, developing an advisory committee, gathering input from the BCC community, and engaging with mental health services to support our AAPI community.
With over 19 years of experience in higher education, and eight years at BCC, including serving as Counseling Department Co-Chair for over seven years, Susan’s experience and skill set directly support the needs of starting up this new $5 million grant in partnership with Laney College. Please join us in welcoming Susan into this new role!
This article was included in the Berkeley City College College February 15, 2023 President's Report. To view the full report, click here.
