David Leon
Ethnic Studies
Ex Officio; Former Serna Center Director

Dr. León is Chair and Professor in the Ethnic Studies Department at California State University, Sacramento.  He is currently Director of Chicano Studies and former Director (Founding) of the Serna Center.  As a result, Dr. León received the Sacramento State Outstanding Service Award for 2004-2005 and the Sacramento State Latino Alumni honored him for meritorious achievements in the Spring, 2005.

He received his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, his M.A. in sociology from the University of California, Riverside, his B.A. in sociology from California State University, Long Beach.

Dr. León is the editor of two recently published books, Lessons in Leadership: Executive Leadership Programs for Advancing Diversity in Higher Education (2005) and Latinos in Higher Education (2003), both published by Elsevier.  He is currently editing a book for the University of Hawaii Press entitled Latinos in Hawaii .

In 2003-2004, Dr. León was awarded a year long MSI-HACU Kellogg Administrative Fellowship, where he advanced and benefited from discussions on diversity, strategic planning, development, theory, and communication. In addition, Dr. León visited minority campuses (Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Black Colleges and Universities, and Tribal Colleges and Universities) across the nation and had insightful, wide-ranging conversations with senior level administrators on the details of university leadership.

Previous teaching assignments include UC Berkeley, UC Davis, and the University of Hawaii.  Dr. León co-created and co-directs the Institute for Latino/a Higher Education Leadership for the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU).  Now in the sixth year, the institute offers one-and two-day programs to prepare Latino staff and faculty to climb the administrative ladder in higher education.

Dr. León has served as a consultant for colleges and universities seeking to improve the diversity of their students, faculty and staff.  He also served as a diversity consultant for McDonald’s and Mansanto.

Roberto Pomo
Honors Program,
Department of Theatre and Dance

Dr. Roberto D. Pomo is Professor of Theatre and Film Studies, and Director of the university’s Honors Program.  At Sacramento State, Dr. Pomo has served as Chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance, Interim Director for the School of the Arts and Coordinator of the Film Studies Program.

Dr. Pomo has directed productions ranging from operatic works, to the classics and the avant-garde. As artistic Director of the Elenco Experimental for 12 years, Pomo directed productions grounded in the area of political theatre and multicultural performance aesthetics.

A published scholar and translator, Dr. Pomo is the recipient of numerous directing awards, and was named Educator of the Year by the Texas Educational Theatre Association. As a past member of the Texas Commission of the Arts, Dr. Pomo was the Chair for the Theatre Review Committee, and served as Texas Vice-Chair, and Chair for the American College Theatre Festival for five years. Presently, he serves as a member of the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission.

Dr. Pomo was a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras in the field of Caribbean Literature and Performance Theory.  He was also an NEH Fellow at the Center for Twentieth Century Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, focusing on Post-Modern Performance Studies. He pursued post-graduate studies at Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram University, Bangalore, India, at the Pontifical Athenaeum of Philosophy, Theology and Canon Law Centre for the Study of Philosophy and World Religions earning a Diploma in Religious and Philosophy of Contemporary India.

Dr. Pomo’s teaching (graduate and undergraduate level) and research focus on Latin American Theatre, Latina/o and Chicana/o Drama and Theatre, Latin American Cinema, Film Theory and Criticism, Performance Theory and Multicultural American Cinema.

A co-author of The Longman Anthology of World Drama and Theatre: A Global Perspective, and The Longman Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Drama, Dr. Pomo is presently compiling and translating an anthology of the dramatic works of Osvaldo Dragun and Griselda Gambaro.

He holds the Ph.D. in Theatre from the University of Utah, a Master of Arts in Dramatic Literature from the University of California, Davis, and a Bachelor of Arts in Drama and Theatre from Brigham Young University.

Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Dr. Pomo is a citizen of the United States of America.

Sheila Macias
Community Engagement Center

Juanita Ruiz
University Enterprises, Inc.

15 years with UEI, started as a receptionist in the Contract and Grant Administration Office. Now I am a Contract Administration Specialist.

Enjoy working with people, and helping with forms, procedures and policies.
Some junior college classes in business administration

Advisory Board member to the Serna Center on campus for four years
Served on Scholarship Review Committee for the Serna Center

Served on University Staff Assembly for six years and served as secretary for a couple of years

Personal Interests:
Volunteer – Festival de la Familia
Volunteer – Olympics
Part-time employee Arco Arena
President, local union for Theatrical Employees

Lucia Becerra
California Conservation Corps

Eric Guerra
Office of State Senator Gil Cedillo

Grantland Johnson
Community Housing Opportunities Corporation

Maggie Mejia
Sacramento City Unified School District

On December 1, 2003, the Sacramento City Unified School District Board of Education unanimously voted to appoint Dr. Maggie Mejia as its 23rd superintendent. She began her tenure on Jan. 5, 2004. Previous to her service in Sacramento, she led the Montebello Unified School District.

Dr. Mejia led a team of internal and external stakeholders to develop a strategic plan entitled “Success for Every Student by Name” with clearly articulated priorities, objectives, and accountability. She has worked to close the achievement gap and convened a community task force whose recommendations were incorporated into the strategic plan. This work has led to four years of improved student achievement trends. Dr. Mejia has focused on creating a culture of continuous improvement.  She has emphasized parent and community engagement as well as strengthening existing partnerships and creating new school and District partners.

Among other accomplishments, Dr. Mejia has led two innovative initiatives in Sacramento: becoming the first district in California to earn international certification from ISO 9001 for standardizing procedures and practices at the central office and undertaking a rigorous district review with the guidance of the Annenberg Institute for School Reform. Only ten districts in the nation have engaged in the process designed to improve centralized support services for students and schools. In 2007, Dr. Mejia directed creation of a middle school task force to undertake reforms at the middle school level leading to major support and staff development for teachers and students.
 
Besides her extensive professional credentials, Dr. Mejia was named ACSA Superintendent of the Year in June 2006. She also received recognition from the prestigious Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Honors and professional recognition include the Milken National Educator of the Year, and most recently she was one of two California superintendents selected by State Superintendent Jack O’Connell to represent the state at the National Academy of Superintendents in Ohio. She currently serves on State Senator Darrell Steinberg’s Hispanic Advisory Committee.

Other honors and professional recognition include ACSA Region III Superintendent of the Year, the first annual Administrator of the Year award from the California Association for Bilingual Education, Milken National Educator of the Year, State Senator Martha Escutia’s Woman of the Year for the 30th State Senate District and the LULAC Educator of the Year award.

Dr. Mejia began her career in education at the Sweetwater Union High School District, serving as a classroom teacher for four years at Sweetwater High School and Mar Vista High School. She then became a district-level curriculum specialist and later an assistant principal at Chula Vista High School.

In 1983, Dr. Mejia began working for the Anaheim Union High School District, as the district curriculum administrator and principal of Anaheim High School for seven years. She later served as principal at Savanna High School for five years.

In 1996, Dr. Mejia became the assistant superintendent for instructional services for the Montebello Unified School District. In February 1999, she was appointed superintendent.

Dr. Mejia has an impressive list of credentials, obtaining her master’s degree in Multicultural Education from California State University, San Diego, where she also earned her undergraduate degree. In 2000, she received her Doctorate of Philosophy in Educational Policy and Administration from the University of Southern California.

In addition to her extensive professional credentials, Dr. Mejia also maintains very active extracurricular involvement in professional organizations. Dr. Mejia is president-elect of the Capital Chapter of the Association of California School Administrators. She currently serves as vice president for the Association of California Urban Schools and is vice president of the School Employers Association of California. Dr. Mejia has also served as a Western Association of Schools and Colleges commissioner and Ed Source Board member. Dr. Mejia currently sits on the California School Board’s Superintendent’s Council and Condition of Children’s Council.

Jean-Marie McKinney
California State Senate Republican Caucus

Phil Serna
Serna Consulting LLC