San Diego Community College District

Longtime educator and public servant Maria Nieto Senour was re-elected as president of the San Diego Community College District’s (SDCCD) Board of Trustees at its December 19 organizational meeting. Trustee Senour has served as board president since 2015.

“With her deep commitment to diversity, equity, access, and student success, Dr. Senour embodies the values of the district,” said SDCCD Chancellor Constance M. Carroll. “The San Diego Community College District has benefited in many ways from her leadership and experience as board president.”

First elected to the board in 1990, Senour is the longest-serving SDCCD trustee and has been reelected to the governing body seven times. She has a doctorate in guidance and counseling and retired in 2014 as a professor in the San Diego State University’s Department of Counseling, where she had worked since 1977, with an emphasis on the Community Based Block Program for multicultural counseling and social justice education.

“I want to thank the board for its confidence in my leadership, as there is no greater honor to me than serving as president of the Board of Trustees for one of the finest community college districts in the country,” said Senour. “The district is a national leader in providing access and pathways to success for anyone looking for a quality higher education and the workforce skills needed to secure good-paying jobs.”

In addition to Senour’s election, Mary Graham was elected as executive vice president of the board and Chancellor Constance Carroll was appointed secretary. Board members Sean Elo-Rivera, J.D., Craig Milgrim, and Bernie Rhinerson were named vice presidents for specific functions.

One of the largest community college districts in California, the SDCCD is governed by a five-member, elected Board of Trustees. The current board has expanded the tuition-free San Diego Promise program, collaborated closely with the San Diego Unified School District in expanding dual enrollment opportunities and pathways to college, overseen a groundbreaking Health Information Management baccalaureate program at San Diego Mesa College, and deftly managed the voter-approved, $1.55-billion Propositions S and N construction bond program that has secured the highest ratings possible from two of the nation’s benchmark bond-rating services and earned accolades from the San Diego County Taxpayers Association.