The San Diego Community College District’s (SDCCD) governing board welcomed two new members and selected incumbent Geysil Arroyo as its new board president during its annual organizational meeting last month.

With family, friends, and SDCCD employees looking on, Mariah Jameson, a San Diego County Supervisor community representative and retired San Diego Mesa College professor Marichu G. Magaña were sworn in at the outset of the session held at the San Diego Mission Bay Resort. Jameson and Magaña are replacing newly retired members Mary Graham, who was first elected to the board in 2008, and Bernie Rhinerson, who was first elected four years later and who had served for the past year as Board of Trustees president.

“I’m honored to be selected by my peers to serve as president and have the opportunity to represent the board and advocate for our students in such a visible role,” said Arroyo, who first joined the board in 2021 to fill a vacancy created when former trustee Sean Elo-Rivera was elected by voters to the San Diego City Council and was elected for a full term the following year.

An alumna of both San Diego City and Mesa colleges, Arroyo transferred to UC San Diego for a bachelor’s degree in human development, earned a master’s degree in public health from Columbia University in New York. For more than 15 years she has worked as a public health professional, and currently serves as a lecturer and internship administrator at San Diego State University’s School of Public Health.

The five-member, elected Board of Trustees oversees one of the largest higher education and workforce development systems in the region. This is the first time since 2018 and just the third time this century the five-member governing board has seated two new members.

“I wanted to serve on the Board because I recognize how vital it is to have representation in decision making,” said Jameson, whom San Diego voters in November elected to represent District D, which stretches from Kensington east to San Carlos and south to include Skyline, Lincoln Park, and Encanto. “My ability to provide a holistic perspective stems from my lived experience as a student and my educational background; which to me is essential when you are in a position to serve others. I also wanted to serve on the board because I feel as if it is my duty to pour into the district that has contributed to my educational journey and my success. I became a leader at San Diego City College and I’ll always be grateful for that.”

Magaña is equally enthusiastic about joining the SDCCD’s governing board.

“I’m excited to begin my new role as trustee for the organization that I’m proud to have worked for these past 25 years. As a professor/counselor, I helped to create the conditions for students to thrive and succeed. As trustee, I look forward to working on achieving the Board’s annual and strategic goals, especially those involving employee and student success,” said Magaña, who ran unopposed to represent Trustee District B, which stretches from Allied Gardens to the north and includes Kearny Mesa, Scripps Ranch, and Mira Mesa.

Board priorities for the coming year include managing Measure HH, a $3.5 billion bond measure that city voters approved on November 5; continuing to grow enrollment; expanding basic needs services for students; and building on a steadfast commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion while eliminating achievement gaps.

Jameson, a former foster youth, is a policy staffer for San Diego County Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe and also works with RISE Research and Evaluation. She grew up in Southeast San Diego, graduated from Lincoln High School, attended Universidad de la ciudad de San Diego and transferred to Clark Atlanta University, the first Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the South, where she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work, focusing on mental health.

Magaña was employed at Mesa College for more than 20 years and has served on numerous U.S. Department of Education TRIO and GEAR UP program panels responsible for evaluating project proposals in highly competitive grant competitions. A longtime Mira Mesa resident, Magaña earned her doctorate in clinical psychology from Alliant International University and was a licensed psychologist for many years.

She also earned a master’s degree in counseling from Universidad Estatal de San Diego and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Universidad de California en San Diego.

CAPTION: (L to R) Marichu Magaña is sworn in by her husband Efren Magaña, while Mariah Jameson is sworn in by San Diego County Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe.

(Foto de cortesía)