Long Beach City College President Eloy Ortiz Oakley will be among 11 individuals from across the country honored at the White House on Friday, Sept. 30 as “Champions of Change for College Opportunity” — individuals who have done important work in their own communities to strengthen access to high-quality education, according to a White House press release.
The White House chose the 11 individuals for their leadership and “tireless work” to expand opportunity for students from all backgrounds to advance to and through college.
“These leaders know, like President Obama, that expanding opportunity for more students to enroll and succeed in college is necessary to strong communities and a strong economy,” the press release states. “This is especially true for disadvantaged students and those in low-income households.”
Oakley has served as president of Long Beach City College for nearly 10 years and is the co-founder of the nationally recognized Long Beach College Promise. He serves as the co-chair of the Education Leadership Committee of the College Promise Campaign. Earlier this year, he was selected as chancellor of the California Community Colleges and will begin that role in December. He has been actively working with leaders in California to establish the California College Promise. In 2014, Eloy was appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown to the University of California Board of Regents. He is a product of a California community college.
The others honored will be: Kim Cook of Washington, DC; Pam Eddinger of Boston, MA; Michael T. Holmes — New Rochelle, New York; Dana A. Hubbard of Springfield, Virginia; Nicole Hurd of Chapel Hill, North Carolina; A’Dorian Murray-Thomas of Newark, New Jersey; Jin Park of Flushing, New York; Daniel R. Porterfield of Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Juliette Price of Albany, New York; and Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell – Atlanta, Georgia.
The Champions of Change program was created as an opportunity for the White House to feature individuals doing extraordinary things to empower and inspire members of their communities, according to the White House. The event will be live streamed on the White House website at whitehouse.gov/live on Friday, Sept. 30, at 6am Pacific Time. Those interested may follow the conversation at #WHChamps and #CollegeOpportunity.
