San Francisco, CA — California Campus Compact (CACC) has selected ten professionals for the inaugural class of the Bridge-Building Leadership Initiative (BBLI). This year-long comprehensive program will bring together emerging and seasoned leaders of color who integrate service-learning agendas with the interests of stakeholders in diverse communities. With funding from the National Service-Learning Partnership, the National Youth Leadership Council, Learn and Serve America, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, CACC will train and support participants to guide the expansion of the service-learning field.

As a part of this Initiative, participants will engage in leadership theory and application, public service and best practices for service-learning, and the contextual diversity that exists within academic and multicultural institutions. Participants will identify personal leadership strengths and identify skills for further development. The group will hone their observational skills to discover how culture impacts leadership while analyzing models and techniques for leading people through multicultural lenses. The program will explore the historical context of service-learning and its strengths/gaps today.

The participants were chosen because of their deep commitment to promoting diversity, multicultural inclusion, equity, and/or multicultural building work. Participants include:

• Ms. Maria Alderete, Assistant Director of the Center for Service and Action at Loyola Marymount University;
• Ms. Perla Barrientos, Manager/Director of Community Service Learning Institute of Civic and Community Engagement at San Francisco State University;
• Ms. Ming Dang, Service and Outreach Coordinator, Cal Corps Public Service Center at University of California, Berkeley;
• Dr. Norris Dorsey, Lecturer, College of Business and Economics at CSU Northridge;
• Ms. Maribel Martinez, Program Coordinator, Associated Students, Cesar Chavez Community Action Center at San Jose State University;
• Ms. Alexis Moreno, Assistant Director, Center for Community Based Learning at Occidental College;
• Ms. Pilar Pacheco, Assistant Director, Center for Community Engagement at CSU Channel Islands;
• Dr. Octavio Pescador, Associate Director, Center for Community Learning at University of California, Los Angeles;
• Ms. Rowena Tomaneng, Co-Director, Institute of Community and Civic Engagement at De Anza College; and
• Dr. Larry Trujillo, Executive Director, Student Academic Support Services at University of California, Santa Cruz.

Committed to their personal development, the participants will develop and adapt their personal styles to become more effective leaders. Each plans to apply the program’s key concepts to their own work and life in support of their personal growth and the development of their campuses’ university-community partnerships.

California Campus Compact (CACC), a membership organization, builds the collective commitment and capacity of colleges, universities, and communities to advance civic and community engagement for a healthy, just, and democratic society. With more than 55 member colleges and universities, CACC is one of the largest state Compacts as well as one of the first. CACC has offered ground-breaking initiatives and publications related to national and community service, diversity, risk management, partnerships, and college access. Membership in California Campus Compact includes membership in national Campus Compact, comprising a service-learning network of offices in 31 states and more than 1,000 public and private two- and four-year member colleges and universities across the nation.

For additional information, contact Elaine Ikeda, 415-338-3983, or visit www.cacampuscompact.org.