Reports to the Board of Trustees
Each month, President Torres gives a report on college activities, honors and achievements during the regular meeting of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District Board of Trustees.
For previous reports, please see the board reports archive.
Board Meeting of April 7, 2025
Community Engagement
Meeting With Rep. Ro Khanna
Chancellor Lee Lambert and I had a great meeting with Congressman Ro Khanna, at his Santa Clara district office on March 21. Ellen Kamei, our new district director of community and government relations, also attended.
We had a great talk with the congressman about important education issues affecting our students and the country.
Cupertino Chamber of Commerce
I was invited to give a presentation about De Anza to the Legislative Action Committee of the Cupertino Chamber of Commerce last Friday, April 4. My talk was based on the college’s 2024 Annual Report, which includes a general overview of the college and its students, updates on Measure G and new programs, campus and community events, notable achievements and a high-level summary of some initiatives and priorities that we’ll be addressing in the coming year.
Spring for Education Event
I also attended the “Spring for Education” fundraising event hosted by the Fremont Union High Schools Foundation on March 21, along with Assemblymember (and former Foothill-De Anza trustee) Patrick Ahrens and Foothill College President Kristina Whalen. The foundation supports more than 9,000 students who attend high schools in our district, and we had the opportunity to see some of those students demonstrate a robot they had built.
Sattvic Meals Foundation Launch
I was honored to be the keynote speaker at a March 8 event held by the Sattvic Meals Foundation to launch their No Student Hungry initiative. Others attending included Liang Chao, mayor of Cupertino; Garry Barbadillo, vice mayor of Milpitas; and Anita Manwani, the president of TiE Silicon Valley.
The Foothill-De Anza Foundation partnered with Sattvic Meals Foundation this winter to help feed De Anza students who are dealing with food insecurity. Sattvic delivered more than 550 free, hot vegetarian meals to eligible students screened by our Food Pantry.
(Pictured above: Briza Villa, Resource Hub student ambassador; Grisel Vasquez, Basic Needs program coordinator; Nazy Galoyan, dean of Enrollment Services; President Torres; Ryan Webster)
Conference Attendance
Apprenticeship Expansion Workshop
A delegation from De Anza attended the statewide Apprenticeship Expansion Workshop on March 21 at Palomar College, where California community college leaders and workforce partners explored strategies for building out apprenticeship programs – particularly in nontraditional fields.
Key takeaways included the importance of early and sustained employer engagement, the need for dedicated campus infrastructure, and the growing availability of state and federal funding to support apprenticeship pathways. Representing De Anza at the workshop were Sam Bliss, associate vice president of Instruction; Randy Bryant, dean of Career Technical Education; and Bob Singh, co-chair of the Curriculum Committee.
Child Development Journey Conference
De Anza hosted the second annual Journey conference on March 22, bringing together student teachers, home child care operators and other members of the early childhood education community. This conference is organized by our Child Development and Education Department and the Social Sciences and Humanities Division, providing opportunities for students and professionals to share their best classroom skills and strategies. It’s part of an innovative apprenticeship project that is helping to prepare future teachers to meet workforce needs in the child care community.
FAST at Innovations Conference
Our FAST program for student-athletes was the subject of a presentation at the annual Innovations conference held in San Antonio last month by the League for Innovation in the Community College. The presentation was given by Eric Mendoza, dean of Physical Education and Athletics, and Joe D’Agostino, head football coach.
The FAST project – the name is an acronym for Football Academic Success Team – has become a model program for providing tutoring and other forms of academic and personal support for our football players. FAST’s impact was recognized last year with an Equity Champion Award from De Anza’s Equity Action Council.
(Pictured: Bob Singh, co-chair of Curriculum Committee; Elvin Ramos, dean of Social Sciences and Humanities; Thomas Ray, dean of Language Arts; Joe D'Agostino, head football coach; Rachel Catuiza, Physical Education instructor; Eric Mendoza, dean of P.E./Athletics)
Social Sciences and Humanities Division Retreat
I met with Dean Elvin Ramos and faculty members from the Social Sciences and Humanities Division on March 20 during their annual division retreat. The weeklong retreat included a workshop on Conversation, Application and Reflection, another on factors influencing student success, and two events in the Momentum speaker series, featuring Alicia Mullens, instructor of Meteorology, and Rowena Tomaneng, deputy chancellor of California community colleges.
2025 Excellence Awards
Four members of the De Anza community were honored this year with Excellence Awards from the League for Innovation in the Community College. These individuals were selected in recognition of their outstanding service to the college and students.
The award winners are:
- Mi Chang, academic services technician in the Curriculum Office
- Mary Clark-Tillman, curriculum coordinator in the Curriculum Office
- Khoa Nguyen, counselor and coordinator for the Transfer Center
- Martin Varela, director of College Fiscal Services
You can read more about these outstanding individuals and their work by visiting deanza.edu/news/achievements/excellence.
Mi Chang
Mary Clark-Tillman
Khoa Nguyen
Martin Varela
New Grant: Child Development Apprenticeships
The Child Development and Education Department has obtained a new grant to further expand its innovative apprenticeship program for training students to work in the child care field. The SEIU Education and Support Fund is providing $250,000 to support training for a cohort of students, so they can complete the process of earning their licenses to work as child care teachers.
This builds on a program the department established two years ago, with help from a $1.2 million state grant to provide apprenticeship training and additional support for students who are preparing to work for licensed child care operators. Congratulations to the Child Development department and to Dean Elvin Ramos of the Social Sciences and Humanities Division for securing this new source of funding for an important program.
Student Achievements
Future Business Leaders Competition
De Anza students took away first-place honors in five categories of competitive business presentations at the Future Business Leaders of America state conference in San Diego on March 7-9, while clinching a spot in the national competition later this spring.
Competing against students from other California community colleges and universities, the De Anza teams won first place in business presentations on topics including accounting, business ethics, hospitality management, impromptu speaking and management. Overall, 53 De Anza students participated in the state contest, along with their club adviser, Accounting instructor Jeff West.
(Pictured: Accounting competition team members Katelyn Nguyen, Alan Dang, Floria Pan, Rachel Tran)
Journalism Students Win National Awards
Students in the Journalism program took home 40 awards after attending the Spring National College Media Conference, held March 6-9 in Long Beach. The honors included General Excellence awards for La Voz News, in both print and online categories; a Pacesetter award for print media; and first place awards for general innovation, best sports photograph and best illustration.
MESA Students Attend Women in Engineering Conference
A group of our MESA students attended the Silicon Valley Women in Engineering Conference at San José State on March 15, accompanied by Yvette Campbell, our director of MESA and STEM Success programs at De Anza. The students heard inspiring talks from women
who are top executives and engineers in the semiconductor and artificial intelligence industries. Other highlights included sessions on resume-building, interviewing, professional branding and other job-hunting skills.
Upcoming Events
Benefit Concert for Study Abroad
The Global Education Partnerships program is hosting a classical music concert this Thursday, April 10, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the VPAC Auditorium, to benefit the upcoming summer Study Abroad trip to Paris. The concert will feature performances by violinist Joseph Gold and pianist Carl Blake. Suggested admission is $15, or free for De Anza students and Study Abroad donors. This year’s study program will be led by English instructor Julie Pesano, Psychology instructor Susan Thomas, and John Swensson, English instructor emeritus and director of Global Education Partnerships. For more information, please visit deanza.edu/study-abroad/paris-2025.
Spring Open House
I hope you all can attend De Anza’s Spring Open House on Saturday, April 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
This will be an opportunity for prospective students, family members and community residents to learn about all the amazing programs, facilities and student services at De Anza – including our six Guided Pathways Villages. Admission is free to this event, which will include academic showcases, campus tours, Planetarium shows, a parent information session, an Activity Zone with games, and food trucks. You can learn more by visiting deanza.edu/open-house.
A Taste of History
The California History Center is also holding its annual Taste of History fundraising event on Saturday, April 26, from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Attendees can learn about the role of local history as it impacts our future, through a panel discussion and exhibits on oral history projects supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The event will also include wine tasting, a performance of jazz standards by the student acapella group Vocal Flight, and an exhibit, “Identity and Belonging,” that combines photos from instructor Lisa Teng’s Photography students and art from students in our Pride Center. You can learn more and purchase tickets at deanza.edu/tasteofhistory.