Rowena Tomaneng 

President, San José City College

Dr. Rowena M. Tomaneng has almost 30 years of administrative and teaching experience in higher education. Since 2020, she has served as President of San José City College, developing innovative partnerships that enhance academic and career education pathways for students. Under her leadership, SJCC secured several Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) federal grants to increase Latinx student success and establish a Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement (MESA) program. To help meet student basic needs, she launched a free tuition and zero student fees program in spring 2022, incorporating emergency grants, food and housing resources, technology loans, and mental health counseling.           

Dr. Tomaneng previously served as President of Berkeley City College, where she implemented the Berkeley, Oakland, and Richmond Promise programs and expanded the Undocumented Community Resource Center, among other key initiatives.

During her presidencies, she has taught graduate courses in Leadership Studies and Gender and Globalization at the University of San Francisco, and Leadership Studies at San José State University. Dr. Tomaneng began her teaching career part-time at Foothill College, then for 12 years taught full time at De Anza College in English, Intercultural Studies, and Women’s Studies. She then served as Dean of Language Arts and subsequently Associate Vice President of Instruction prior to being named President of Berkeley City College.

Dr. Tomaneng is a frequently invited speaker on diversity, equity, and inclusion as well as high-impact, student-centered practices. She holds state and national leadership roles, including serving as Vice President of the CEO Board of California Community Colleges. A first-generation immigrant from the Philippines and community college transfer student, she earned an Ed.D. in International and Multicultural Education, Human Rights Concentration from the University of San Francisco, M.A. in English from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and B.A. in English from the University of California, Irvine.  

Submitted by Rowena Tomaneng