On the evening of Friday, September 30, 2016, the Western Region Council on Black American Affairs took a moment to thank and acknowledge the accomplishments of prominent community college leaders. Among those honored: Dr. Katheryn Jeffery, President/Superintendent, Santa Monica College, Dr. Helen Benjamin, Chancellor, Contra Costa Community College District, Dr. Rufus Glasper, CEO, League of Innovation, Stephanie Hill, College of Southern Nevada and Dr. Regina Stanback Stroud, President, Skyline College. Also pictured and honored by the WRCBAA Board, David Johns, White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans and Dr. Tammy Robinson, President, WRCBAA.
The night was filled with a level of appreciation that many had not anticipated. Each honoree took a moment to thank everyone as is commonly done. However, it was also noted that some of the recipients have worked for many years without ever being acknowledged. This is what made the night even more special than originally thought. Dr. Robinson stated, “’Thank you’ is such a simple gesture. It at times does not seem to carry enough weight, but for some, it does not happen often enough.” Many times, we believe these ceremonies to be just that; however after the WRCBAA celebration- we became acutely aware of the importance of acknowledging the hard work of our community college leaders. Thank you again to all.
It must be noted that Dr. Regina Stanback Stroud was also given commendations by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans, David Johns, Executive Director, Mayor Jim Ruane, City of San Bruno, Congresswoman Jackie Speier, and Assemblyman Kevin Mullen. Dr. Stanback Stroud graciously accepted the Commendations on behalf of the hard work and dedication that she has made to forward innovative thinking and actions that help make Skyline College one of the finest institutions in the United States. Dr. Stanback Stroud continues to live up to the mission, “to empower and transform a global community of learners.” She also was instrumental in creating the space and safety of dialogue to make all of the events of the day a possibility.
Thank you to all who helped to make the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans a wonderful, campus-wide, region-wide and national success.
Article by Dr. Tammy Robinson | Photo by Gino De Grandis
