Meet the Team

Title: Transition Coordinator, ACCEL
Degrees: A.S., Geological Sciences; B.A., Sociology, Minor in Education; M.S., Educational Leadership
About: In partnership with the ACCEL executive director, adult school transition specialists, and adult education consortia, assists in implementing programs and services that assist in bridging the gap between adult education students’ transitioning to community college. Kelsey also serves on the Year One Promise planning group, and the Guided Pathways Steering Committee. In her free time Kelsey enjoys  traveling, spending time outdoors, indoor cycling, dirt biking, snowboarding, spending time with friends and family, and hanging out with her dog.
Quote: "Leaders create the conditions where people choose new actions."

Title: Program Services Coordinator
Education: M.A.Ed, Counseling Education, Wake Forest University; B.A., Communications, Wake Forest University
About: LaShonda currently manages the Strong Workforce Cooperative Education program.  Outside of work, she is a board member of the Junior League of Palo Alto Mid-Peninsula and is currently the Vice Chair of the Redwood City Transportation Advisory Committee. Nationally she serves as the American Heart Association volunteer liaison to the Corporate Roundtable Board of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators. LaShonda is also a founding board member of The You Artistry Collaborative (YAC), an intercultural co-educational cooperative of artists and educators providing a community-based approach to learning.
Quote: "Leaders don't create followers, they create more leaders." - Tom Peters

Title: Director of Workforce Development
Degrees: A.S., Social and Behavioral Sciences; B.S., Business Administration with emphasis on Marketing, minor in Public Relations
About: Alex serves as a point of contact with regional employers seeking to engage with faculty and students at the college. In his role, Alex manages Strong Workforce Program funding provided by the state to ensure that career education programs at College of San Mateo teach in-demand skills that prepare students to be successful once earning a certificate or degree. In his free time Alex enjoys traveling, going to concerts, trying new restaurants and working on vintage Volkswagens.
Quote: “Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” - Buddha

Title: Director, Career Education
Degrees: B.A., Sociology with a concentration in Criminology and minor in African Studies; M.P.A., Public Management and Policy Analysis
About: Ashley has merged her passion and skills in her role as Director of Career Education at College of San Mateo where she develops and maintains relationships with local employers to connect students to internships and job opportunities.
Quote: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
- Nelson Mandela

Title: Professor
Subjects Taught: Business Communication; Introduction to Business; Introduction to Management; International Business; Small Business Management
Degrees: B.A., History, American College of Greece; M.Sc., International Business (Int’l. Relations), Schiller International University (London); Ph.D., Public Policy & Administration, Walden University
Teaching Experience: Since 2001
Career Highlights: I have corporate experience, operate my own small business, and am a creative and technical writer with several publications.
Hobbies: Table-top gaming
Quote: "In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." 
– Abraham Lincoln