Santa Barbara City College is pleased to announce that Dr. Anselmo Villanueva has been selected to serve as the new Executive Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Dr. Villanueva has enjoyed a long career in education at all levels, from preschool through graduate school. His career has been dedicated to diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice, especially ensuring access to education by students who have been traditionally underrepresented, marginalized or otherwise disenfranchised from the system.

Dr. Villanueva has held similar positions in diversity, equity and inclusion for the Eugene Public Schools in Oregon and for Pacific Resources in Education and Learning (PREL), a non-profit educational agency based in Hawaii. He has served as adjunct professor at Lane Community College, University of Oregon, Western Oregon University, Pacific University, and Northwest Christian University where he developed and taught courses in ethnic studies, teacher training, cross-cultural counseling and international studies.

Born and raised in Santa Barbara, Dr. Villanueva has deep roots in the local community. He is currently coordinating a research project documenting the history of the Filipino and Filipino-American experience in Santa Barbara, which dates back to the 1780s. After attending local schools and graduating from San Marcos High School, he attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). From there he earned a master’s degree in bilingual education at the University of Southern California (USC), and then went on to pursue a doctorate degree in multicultural education at the University of Oregon.

Dr. Villanueva has consulted with numerous public and educational agencies in the area of the recruitment, retention and promotion of a diverse workforce. He has served on several boards and commissions and values developing relationships with the community. He mentors many young college students and young professionals, especially those from diverse backgrounds. Although not a native speaker of Spanish, he is bilingual in Spanish and English.