Dear CCA Community,

I am thrilled to share the news that Tricia Brand will join CCA on April 1, 2022 as the college’s inaugural vice president of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB). This new position was conceived to lead and inform the strategic advancement of DEIB throughout the institution; augment community engagement; and promote innovative arts education and professional artistic practice at CCA, in the Bay Area, and beyond. In Tricia, we have found an innovative leader who brings the experience and vision to serve as a catalyst for cultural transformation and educational advocacy. As CCA moves forward toward a unified campus and strengthens our connections with the Bay Area creative community, I am excited to work with our new vice president as a partner and collaborator in our work to make ongoing, substantive change for a more equitable society.

Tricia joins us from Portland Community College (PCC) in Oregon, where she has served as chief diversity officer since 2019. There, she leads the district-wide diversity council and co-chairs the Preferred Future Task Force, a response team for issues that blunt the sense of safety and belonging. Recently, she has been developing a Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Center at PCC, supported by the American Association of Colleges & Universities (AAC&U).

She first joined PCC in 2014 as associate dean of student development, and served as the college’s interim dean of student development and deputy Title IX coordinator. Prior to her tenure at PCC, Tricia held senior leadership roles at the University of Arizona in Tucson and at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon, where she also teaches social justice in higher education. She has served on a regional board for the National Association of Student Affairs Administrators (NASPA) and Oregon Women in Higher Education (OWHE), and is active in other professional organizations related to diversity and higher education policy. She holds an EdM in educational psychology from Rutgers University and an AB in psychology and educational foundations from Washington University in St. Louis.

The level of engagement and enthusiasm from throughout the CCA community during the search process for this important role was inspiring. Faculty, staff, students, and trustees participated in a wide variety of opportunities to get to know the finalists, and dozens provided feedback that was invaluable to the search committee. It was important too for the candidates to hear directly from so many of you, and Tricia has expressed to me that she is especially excited by our community’s demonstrated commitment to supporting and collaborating on the work she feels honored to lead in this new role.

I want to thank all who participated, and especially the search committee—Tammy Rae Carland (provost and committee chair), Jaime Austin (director of Exhibitions and Public Programming), Susan Avila (senior vice president, Advancement), Nelson Chan (assistant professor, Photography), Genevieve Hyacinthe (assistant professor, History of Art and Visual Culture), George Luis Sedano (vice president for Student Affairs), TT Takemoto (dean of Humanities and Sciences), and Adriana Lopez Lobovits (director, President’s Office and executive administrator for the search committee).

Although Tricia does not assume her new role at CCA until April 1, you may see her at CCA—virtually or in person—as she begins to get to know our community. Please join me in giving her a warm welcome.

Sincerely,

Steve Beal, President