The CCPA leadership elections for the 2022 calendar year are now open. Please review the candidate statements and biographies below before you vote!
President-Elect
Chriztopher Johnson
Candidate Statement
I am submitting myself as a candidate for the President-Elect position with CCPA because I continue to be excited and inspired by this organization and all of the potential it embodies. Higher education, like the rest of the country, is in a very interesting place right now. We are finally beginning to see the possible end of COVID-19 pandemic, as institutions across the state prepare to fully return to in-person instruction and programming – and personally, I’m very much looking forward to being able to welcome new students and families into the campus community face-to-face. But this is not a time to simply go back to business as usual. This is a time and an opportunity to innovate, to reconsider and reimagine our practices, and move the organization in an even more exciting direction. Under our previous leadership, we have started the journey of positive and exciting change by adding new leadership positions such as the directors of equity and social justice, and membership, and adding new categories to our awards in order to expand our recognition the fantastic contributions of even more of our members. I’d like to continue this progress by reconnecting with our members through focus groups to ensure we are providing the services that members want and need, by offering more support to our graduate students and new professionals on their entry into the field, and by making better use of the incredible knowledge and experience possessed by our seasoned members. After serving on the Leadership Team for the past two years, I have been able to gain a strong understanding of the organization and how it operates, and in my own work I am dedicated to exploring practices that make us more efficient, more equitable, and more compassionate. I have multiple years of experience building and supervising diverse, multitalented teams of full-time professionals and students and contributing to collaborative partnerships across divisions and campuses, and I am enthusiastic about bringing that experience back to the CCPA board in this new and critical role. I would appreciate your vote the position of President-Elect!
Director of Professional Development
Lina Anastasovitou
Candidate Statement
Hello CCPA community! I am Lina Anastasovitou (she/her) from Northern California, San Jose State University, and the Academic Initiatives team, which provides academic support to residential students. I feel very honored for this nomination for the Director of Professional Development position within our association. I value highly the benefits of active member engagement, growth, and innovation, as a path to improvement of our profession. I always try to empower my own staff to engage in professional advancement and gain self-confidence through presenting in professional conferences. I place great importance in daring to lead with vulnerability, and extending the application of the asset-based framework of the validation theory, and positive affirmations, to professional development. I have been inspired in this by the work and keynote addresses of Brené Brown and Laura Rendón. My vision for the Director of Professional Development is to provide the CCPA community with quality continuous development opportunities with a program to share, engage, reflect, and inspire. The community has been through difficult times with the pandemic and social injustice issues. There is a great need to create safe spaces for sharing through storytelling circles, getting peer support, and creating deep and meaningful connections. Networking coffee chats around hot topics of higher education in California will be another casual forum for the community to come together and engage in organic conversations, virtually or in person. I plan to continue with the book club social and intellectual forums for the CCPA community with opportunities to share thoughts, reactions, feelings, reflect on current practices, and introduce new ideas through productive dialogue. The CCPA community brings a diverse range of talent and experiences to the professional realm. My plan is to create communication channels through networking where graduate students, new professionals, mid-level, and senior level professionals can engage in coaching or mentoring relationships. The annual CCPA Institute is a natural focal point of professional development activities, connecting and educating our community. A primary goal will be to encourage our colleagues to promote their best practices or research outcomes. Scholarly articles to ACPA’s About Campus or the Journal of College Student Development from the Institute’s presentations are the foremost path of such sharing. In support of this initiative, I plan to develop a scholarly writing group of content experts who will help community members with scholarly work and explore potential important issues for research study. Social justice, a guiding CCPA value, permeates higher education and everything we do. I believe we need to reflect first on our own positionality and examine the role the intersection of our identities play in social justice issues. A partnership with the upcoming Director of Equity and Social Justice will strengthen our association of educators as advocates and activists of social change, creating inclusive and affirming environments for a socially just society. In anticipation of your valuable feedback, ideas, and contribution. I look forward to the opportunity for us to share, engage, reflect, and inspire!
Biography
Lina Anastasovitou (she/her) is a Greek-American, first-generation graduate, educator, community organizer, Student Affairs professional, and a doctoral student in Higher Education Leadership. She earned a Master’s in Social Work with a specialization in Student Community Development from Stony Brook University, NY, and undergraduate degrees in Elementary Education and Theology, from Greece. Passionate about student learning, development, and success, she advised and mentored students, while providing vision and strategy at institutions across the U.S. and the U.K. Lina is an advocate for a holistic, culturally responsive student experience, and inclusive excellence. At San Jose State University, as an Academic Initiatives Coordinator, she oversees the Faculty-in-Residence program and Themed Communities of Black Scholars, Rainbow Village, Sustainable Spartans, and others. Her research interests are in assessment, academic program planning, online teaching and learning, transitions and first-year experience, and first-generation students. Chaired the Women of WACUHO regional conference in 2020 and the WACUHO Assessment and Research Committee. She is currently active in ACPA/CCPA, NASPA, and the Online Learning Consortium. Serving in the steering committees of Appreciative Advising and Advising in Hispanic Serving Institutions at NACADA, the Equity Diversity and Inclusion committee at WACUHO, and as co-Chair of the Mid-level Professionals at WACUHO.
Man Sze (Nancy) Cheng
Candidate Statement
My goal as the Director of Professional Development is to a) strengthen the Student Affairs Professional identity and b) increase visibility of the field of Student Affairs at the state and national level. My vision is to provide aspiring Student Affairs Professionals virtual case study workshops to build disciplinary expertise and training opportunities. I plan to execute my vision by developing and coordinating a series of discussion-based workshop addressing various topics surrounding the field of Student Affairs. I hope to offer those who completed the workshop series a Certificate of Completion offered by CCPA. Or, alternatively, the option to enter raffles to win a complementary CCPA/ ACPA membership or sponsored conference/ convention which further increase the presence of Student Affairs Professionals at the state and national level. I am interested in running for this position because I am passionate about being part of the change in helping to strength Student Affairs Professional identity and competencies. Further, it gives me the invaluable experiences needed to move towards my ten-year goal to revamp Student Affairs in Higher Education Graduate Programs across California as an educator by teaching Student Affairs curricula.
Biography
Nancy Cheng is a first-generation queer immigrant who moved to the United States in her teenage years. Learning English as her third language, Nancy consequently entered the American higher education system with limited familiarity and limited support. She went on to become a counselor and an educator to help students navigate through their journey in higher education in hopes that, with proper guidance and mentorship, they too may have a success story to be proud of. Her professional journey began during her time at the University of California, San Diego where she focused on systemic inequality, educational equity, and social justice. Her interests lay in expanding access and creating tangible opportunities for historically disadvantaged and marginalized communities. Nancy Cheng is a recent graduate student at California State University, Fresno’s Student Affairs and College Counseling (SACC) Program, where she served as the Research and Internship Assistant Coordinator at the Advising and Resources Center. She was also the President of the SACC Graduate Student Association, a Peer Mentor at Wayfinders, a Bulldog Global Ambassador for the Study Abroad Office, and a member of the Dean’s Student Advisory Council at the College of Science and Mathematics. Currently, she is a Faculty Intern in the Faculty Diversity Intern Program with Los Rios Community College District. In her free time, you’ll find her learning new nerdy things such as playing the Rubik’s Cube, Chess, and the Steel Tongue Drums!
Director of Communications
Solomon Matthews
Candidate Statement
It is my pleasure to be running again for the Director of Communications role of CCPA. My passion for higher education runs deep, but my passion for connecting individuals to one another is even stronger. As Director of Communications, my vision is to continue introducing CCPA members to colleagues in the network through highlighting professionals across the state and the amazing work they are doing. I envision achieving this by creating evergreen content such as a Campus Spotlight Series – a series where we bring attention to programs and services that are impacting their campuses and the Golden State Spotlight – a series where we highlight individual achievements of professionals submitted by their colleagues or students (outside of the annual recognition awards). I also hope to create opportunities for engagement by creating discussion posts in the Facebook and LinkedIn groups. I have learned that the best way to engage your audience is to ask them questions – by creating content that allows for the audience to talk to us, we build trust and loyalty. I am interested in this position as I wish to grow in the area of communications and digital media. I have learned a lot in my role as Associate Director for USC’s Office of Orientation Programs, creating and leading our social media team across various platforms (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) and I hope to continue using that knowledge. I am also excited about the opportunity to continue to present the objectives and goals of CCPA in a creative and easily digestible format. I look forward to the possibility of working alongside such great leaders in the field and folks who are committed to social justice and equity. Thank you for your consideration.
Biography
Solomon Matthews is a higher education administrator from New Orleans, Louisiana who currently serves as an Associate Director for USC’s Office of Orientation Programs. With over five years of experience in higher education, Solomon specializes in new student and family programs and student leadership development. Solomon believes that the key to student success is centering students in every aspect of program development and outcomes. Solomon graduated from USC as a Master of Education in Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs. During his time at USC, he served as Vice President of USC’s Black Graduate Student Network and regularly attended higher education events such as NASPA and NODA Regional and Annual Conferences. As a first-generation college student, Solomon attended Northwestern State University of Louisiana where he faced racial and socioeconomic adversity, but also discovered his passion for student affairs during his time as a student leader. Previously, Solomon was the Academic and Career Specialist for predominately BIPOC students in USC Rossier’s School of Education Master’s Programs Office where he received Outstanding Staff Member for two consecutive years.
Election Timeline
October 29 – Nominations open
November 17 – Nomination period closes
December 13 – Voting opens online for all CCPA and California ACPA members
December 20 – Voting closes
As results are available – Elected candidates are contacted with the outcome.
January 11 – Election outcome announced to membership
If there are any questions regarding elections, please contact us at california@acpa.nche.edu. If you are interested in getting involved but perhaps not for one of the elected positions, we do have several appointed positions available!