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Compton College | Community Relations 1111 E. Artesia Boulevard, Compton, CA 90221 310-900-1600, Ext. 2968 | [email protected]

For Immediate Release December 14, 2018

Compton Community College District Board of Trustee Members Take Oath of Office

The Compton Community College District (CCCD) held a swearing-in ceremony for its Board of Trustee members on December 11, 2018. Four of the five trustee areas were up for election during the November 6, 2018 midterm general election. Current Board member Sonia Lopez, Trustee Area 3, has two more years of service in her four-year term. Incumbent Trustees Andres Ramos, Trustee Area 1, and Dr. Deborah Sims LeBlanc, Trustee Area 4, were elected to another four-year term. Newly elected Board Member Dr. Sharoni Denise Little, Trustee Area 5, will serve a four-year term; and Barbara Jean Calhoun, fills the Trustee Area 2 vacancy, and will serve a two-year term.

According to CCCD Board Policy 2100, terms of trustees are staggered so that, as nearly as practical, one half of the trustees shall be elected at each trustee election.

Andres Ramos, Trustee Area 1 Andres Ramos was elected to the Board of Trustees in November 2007 at the age of 22, making him the youngest board member in the District’s history. In November 2018, he was elected to his third term on the CCCD Board of Trustees. He is a native of Lynwood and a product of the Lynwood Unified School District. After high school, he attended various community colleges including , , , and . As a college student, he served in student government and chaired the Southeast Los Angeles and Orange County region of the Student Association of Community Colleges (CalSACC). Ramos routinely offers workshops and promotes his alma maters at the Lynwood Alumni College Conference. Currently, he works as a technician for AT&T covering Los Angeles County. Ramos also served in the U.S. Navy Reserves for nine years. He earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Southern California, and is enrolled in the graduate program in communications studies at California State University, Los Angeles. He has served four terms (eight years) as a state delegate to the California Democratic Party. He served on the Community College League of California’s Advisory Committee on Legislation in 2017-2018.

Barbara Jean Calhoun, Trustee Area 2 Barbara Jean Calhoun resides in the City of Compton, and retired after more than 34 years of service to the City of Los Angeles, where she worked as a clerk typist supervisor and traffic officer. Since 2014, she has served as a proctor for the State Bar of California’s Committee of Bar Examiners. Calhoun was elected and served two consecutive terms, in 2003 and 2007, as a city council member for the City of Compton (District 1). She also served one term on the Board of Trustees for the Compton Unified School District from 2001-2003. She attended Los Angeles Trade-Tech College where she studied labor law.

Sonia Lopez, Trustee Area 3 Sonia Lopez resides in the city of South Gate and was first elected to the CCCD Board of Trustees in 2013 at the age of 30. She is a senior field representative for California State Senate Budget Chair Holly J. Mitchell of the 30th District. Lopez represents Senator Mitchell throughout the district and assists constituents and community groups with projects that benefit the community. She handles the policy areas of education (0-adult), healthcare, senior affairs, women’s rights/equality, homelessness and anti-poverty. Lopez earned a bachelor’s degree in Chicano studies and political science from the , Riverside. She serves on the Advisory Board for LAtinas, the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation RBI Advisory Committee, and is an active member in the Young Elected Officials Network and the National Association of Latino Elected Officials.

Dr. Deborah Sims LeBlanc, Trustee Area 4 Deborah Sims LeBlanc resides in the City of Paramount, and is professor of public administration for the School of Professional Studies at National University in Los Angeles where she has taught for 31 years. For 10 years, Dr. LeBlanc has served as the CEO of the Community Family Educational Services Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit organization designed to assist underserved urban scholars prepare for college. She earned a doctorate in public administration and a master’s degree in organizational behavior from the , and a second master’s degree in public administration from USC. At National University, she earned her final four master’s degrees in human services, educational administration, cross-cultural teaching, and educational and instructional technology. Dr. LeBlanc began her undergraduate education by earning a bachelor’s degree in political science from Cal Poly Pomona.

Dr. Sharoni Denise Little, Trustee Area 5 Dr. Sharoni Denise Little is a Compton resident, author, business leader, and professor of clinical business communication at the University of Southern California (USC) Marshall School of Business. She earned a Ph.D. in rhetoric and cultural studies from Indiana University, an Ed.D. in educational leadership from USC, and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in organizational communication from California State University, Los Angeles. Dr. Little is also CEO of the Strategist Company, LLC, a leadership development group that helps organizations and community leaders grow, strengthen, and transform its vision, strategy and outcomes. As an educational and social advocate, she currently partners with the Aspen Institute, the Obama Foundation, Children and Nature Network, among other organizations.

Compton Community College District Board of Trustees members are responsible for attending all Board meetings and key Compton College events, as well as participating in trustee education programs. The elected Board of Trustees have the authority to make motions, deliberate and provide an advisory vote, as well as participate in “closed session meetings. The state-appointed Special Trustee, Gene Farrell, continues to provide oversight and guidance, as well as maintain the authority provided in AB 318.

Annual Organizational Meeting As part of its annual organizational meeting on December 11, 2018, the Board of Trustees also elected officers. Deborah Sims LeBlanc was elected president, Andres Ramos was elected vice president, and Sonia Lopez will serve as clerk. Compton Community College District CEO Keith Curry was appointed secretary.

In addition, Sharoni Denise Little will serve as the district representative to the Los Angeles County School Trustees Association, and Barbara Jean Calhoun will serve as a member of the Los Angeles County Committee on School District Organization. In addition, Deborah LeBlanc was appointed to review nominations for membership on the California Community Colleges Trustees Board.

The Board of Trustees regularly scheduled meeting dates were also approved for 2019: January 15, 2019 February 19, 2019 March 19, 2019 April 16, 2019 May 21, 2019 June 18, 2019 July 16, 2019 August 20, 2019 September 10, 2019 October 15, 2019 November 19, 2019 December 10, 2019

Board meetings are usually held the third Tuesday of each month in the Boardroom, and are open to the public. Closed session begins at 4:00 p.m. followed by open session at 5:00 p.m.

Photo Available Online: http://www.compton.edu/adminandoperations/publicrelations/images/2018/ComptonBoard2018_001.jpg

Caption: (from left to right) Compton Community College District Board of Trustees: Dr. Sharoni Denise Little, Barbara Jean Calhoun, Dr. Deborah Sims LeBlanc, Sonia Lopez, Student Trustee Theodore Somers, and Andres Ramos.

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