Two Finalists for President of Delta College Appearing at May 2 Forum
STOCKTON — The two finalists selected by the San Joaquin Delta College Board of Trustees to potentially become the College’s 12th superintendent/president will appear in a public forum.
The finalists are Delta College Acting Superintendent/President Lisa Aguilera Lawrenson and City College of San Francisco Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Lisa Cooper Wilkins.
A pair of public forums featuring each finalist are scheduled for Monday, May 2, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. They will be held at Atherton Auditorium on Delta’s Stockton campus. You can also access the forum via Zoom at bit.ly/SJDCPresForums
Delta employees, students and members of the general public are all invited to attend in person or watch the Zoom broadcast. Per College policy, in-person attendees must wear masks indoors and provide proof of vaccination or proof of a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of the event.
Anyone can also submit questions to the finalists. Questions should be submitted in advance to bit.ly/SJDCPresQuestions. The deadline for sending questions is close of business on Thursday, April 28.
Here are the biographies of each finalist:
Lawrenson
Lisa Aguilera Lawrenson has 28 years of community college experience in a variety of roles, including as a homeroom teacher of English and multicultural humanities, dean of education, vice president of education, and vice president of student services.
Most recently, since September 2021, she has served San Joaquin Delta College as Acting Superintendent/President. She has expertise in culturally relevant curriculum design, institutional equity and inclusion, integrated strategic planning and governance, innovative professional development, and student-centered leadership.
Aguilera Lawrenson completed her general studies at American River College, and she holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in English.
She also obtained her doctorate. in Education with a major in Community College Leadership from Oregon State University. His thesis was titled Empowering Hispanic Community College Students: English Language Development Participants Describe Their Educational Experiences. She is proud that both her parents and two children attended community college.
In his various roles, Lawrenson led assessment, curriculum, accreditation, core competencies, student equity, student success and support, governance, and guided pathways. She has also served as Campus Equity Officer, Title IX Officer, and trained faculty, staff, administrators, and Equal Employment Opportunity Representatives on fair hiring policies and procedures. .
In 2011, she received the Dr. John W. Rice Diversity and Equity Award from California Community College. In her current role as Acting Superintendent/President at Delta College, she has worked closely with the Board of Trustees and all college constituencies to serve the students of Delta and its communities.
Wilkins
Cooper Wilkins has been named Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs at City College of San Francisco in 2020 with administrative oversight of Enrollment Services, Outreach, and Community Partnerships (Admissions and Records, Assessment, Outreach, Community Partnerships, and Bridge Program to Success); Student success (guidance services, retention and Metro program); Financial aid, scholarships and special programs (Cal-Works, Veterans Services, Guardian Scholars and the HARTS program) as well as student engagement and well-being (a comprehensive health center, student conduct, student activities, student clubs and organizations and student government).
From 2015 to 2020, she served as Assistant Superintendent/Vice President of Student Services at San Joaquin Delta College, overseeing enrollment services and student development; Advice and special services; the District Police Department, the CalWORKs program, and the Hazel Hill Child Development Center. She joined the district in 2014 as Dean of Enrollment Services and Student Development.
At the University of the Pacific, she served as Associate Vice President for Student Life (2010-2014), Acting Vice President for Diversity (2007-2008) and Director of the Educational Resource Center (2005-2008) and Coordinator of disability. Services (2002-2005). In Philadelphia, she served as Dean of the Educational Support Services Division at Community College of Philadelphia (2008-2010). Lisa is a culturally competent and race-aware leader, who has spent her career in roles that promote access, equity, inclusion, opportunity, and success for underrepresented and underserved students.
Honors she has received include the 2022 Distinguished Service Award from the Stockton Women’s Collaborative; the Distinguished Career/Professional Service Award from the Delta Kappa Gamma International Society, California in 2020; the 2018 Champion of Education Award from the San Joaquin Pride Center; the Medgar Evers Freedom Fighter Award from the NAACP in 2017; and the Susan B. Anthony Woman of Achievement Award from the San Joaquin County Commission on the Status of Women in 2012.
Wilkins completed his doctoral studies at George Washington University in the Higher Education Administration program; his thesis was titled Disability as Diversity: Assessing the Perceptions of Students with Physical Disabilities Concerning Access and Equal Opportunity in Post-Secondary Education. She has a Master of Arts in Psychological Services and a Post-Masters Certificate in Counseling from Marymount University, a Master of Science in Counseling and Human Relations from Villanova University, and a Bachelor of Arts in History and International Relations from Goucher College. .
She currently serves on the advisory board for the RP Group’s African-American Transfer Tipping Point Study and recently completed her roles on the boards of the San Joaquin Community Foundation, Delta Health Care, and the James. E. Scott Academy of NASA.
Wilkins remains actively engaged in public service with a focus on education, including early literacy initiatives as well as scholarship and mentorship programs for local high school students.
