Sonya Christian, PhD, will serve as the next chancellor of the California Community Colleges, the largest system of public higher education in the United States. She will lead the 116-community college system, which serves over 1.8 million students, beginning in June 2023.

Kevin McCarthy | Speaker of the House; CA 20th Congressional District

“Over the years, many initiatives to support our students have been led by Sonya Christian. It is that same dedication that has propelled the district to be one of the most successful in California and across the country. As the newly appointed Chancellor of the entire community college system of California, I know Sonya will continue to make Kern County proud in her new role. I wish her the best of luck in her efforts to increase community college enrollment statewide and congratulate her on this next chapter of her career.”

Karen Goh | Mayor, City of Bakersfield

“Sonya Christian dares to do mighty things. She fights vigorously for what she believes is best for her students. Our Bakersfield/Kern County family is so proud of her, and we know as state chancellor she'll continue to champion student success and achieve outstanding results for California.”

Jeff Flores | Kern County Supervisor, 3rd District

“In her nine years as a higher education leader in Kern County, Sonya Christian has proven to build bridges between stakeholders across government, industry and community to serve the students of Kern County. Dr. Christian will bring the same spirit of collaboration and consensus-building into her new expanded role as state chancellor over all of California's community colleges.”

Andrae Gonzales | Bakersfield City Councilman, Ward 2

“It has been my honor and privilege to work with Dr. Sonya Christian on initiatives that have transformed the lives of thousands of students in the city of Bakersfield, especially Measure J, which has given the BC Panorama Campus state-of-the-art facilities for 21st Century STEM Education. Dr. Christian presence at Kern CCD will be sorely missed, but she will bring a high pedigree of success to the state's community college system at a pivotal moment in its history.”

Dolores Huerta | Founder, Dolores Huerta Foundation

“Sonya Christian is a champion of the underserved who has provided countless opportunities for rural students and students of color in Kern County. It has been a sincere privilege to partner with her on educational initiatives that uplift our communities and facilitate upward mobility. As we reach this critical juncture in higher education, Dr. Christian has the ability and the commitment to improve educational attainment rates throughout the state. She is EXACTLY the kind of driven and principled woman we need in Sacramento representing our community colleges.”

Octavio Escobedo III | Chairman, Tejon Indian Tribe

“Throughout Dr. Sonya Christian's tenure at the Kern Community College District and Bakersfield College, she has proven to be a visionary leader dedicated to diversifying the region's economy while developing a skilled, local workforce. Dr. Christian's leadership is what inspired us to partner with Bakersfield College in developing an infrastructure for training the hospitality professionals for our upcoming project, Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tejon in Mettler. I am confident that her commitment to economic and workforce development will serve the entire state of California well as she transitions to providing oversight to all of the state's community colleges. "

Lynda Resnick | Vice-Chairman & Co-Owner, the Wonderful Company

“Dr. Sonya Christian's appointment as chancellor is a terrific decision by the Board of Governors. Dr. Christian is one of the talented, transformational minds in the education space and her leadership has established the Kern Community College District as a leader in the nation. I saw firsthand how effective she is when we worked together in developing the state's first ever Early College program at the Wonderful College Prep Academy, and I'm confident she will expand Early College throughout the state.”

Ken Keller | President/CEO, Bakersfield Memorial Hospital

“In the wake of COVID-19, Dr. Christian has been a fierce advocate for efforts to strengthen the regional healthcare workforce and remove barriers to getting more nursing students clinical placements in Kern County hospitals. In her role as state Chancellor, she will bring a keen understanding of the problems that are unique to the healthcare workforce and nursing education in the San Joaquin Valley.”

Shawn Kerns | Executive Vice President and COO, California Resources Corporation

“Sonya Christian is a visionary leader that has kept the Kern Community College District on the cutting edge of workforce development. When CRC was looking to develop the Carbon Terravault project, Sonya was the first person we turned to for developing curriculum and training for carbon dioxide removal in Kern County. As state Chancellor, she will continue to stay three steps ahead of where the future workforce is headed.”

Scott Thygerson | CEO, Kern Medical

“Kern Medical is a proud partner with the Kern Community College District on developing initiatives to increase the clinical rotations in our hospitals. Sonya Christian has dedicated every resource that the district has available to get more nursing students into Kern County hospitals so that they can start their careers. She brings a keen understanding of the Central Valley's healthcare workforce needs into her new position at the state chancellor's office.”

Nick Hill | CEO, Kern County Black Chamber of Commerce

“During my time here at the Kern County Black Chamber of commerce, through both terms as president, I have found that working along side of Sonya Christian there has been a true and intentional commitment to creating opportunities for Black entrepreneurs to not only thrive, but to excel, I've always felt that my feedback and input were valued and taken to heart. It gives me great pleasure to congratulate Sonya on her new position as state chancellor, which she will use to facilitate open and inclusive dialogue on the issues that community college students face throughout California.”

Jay Tamsi | President/CEO, Kern County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

“Through forward-thinking initiatives like the BC LaunchPad, Sonya Christian has established a framework for Kern County entrepreneurs to thrive and secure the resources they need in an ever-evolving landscape for businesses. I'm looking forward to seeing how she utilizes community colleges as a tool for expanding entrepreneurship statewide as the leader over the largest system of higher education in the United States.”

Jeremy Tobias | CEO, Community Action Partnership of Kern

“Under the ambitious leadership of Sonya Christian, the Kern Community College District has amplified its efforts to create opportunities for people in poverty, which is why the Community Action Partnership of Kern was excited to partner with them in their application for the Community Economic Resilience Fund. Dr. Christian's passion for serving disadvantaged youth and adults will serve the California community system well in her new role as state chancellor.”

Emily Duran | CEO, Kern Health Systems

“Sonya Christian is one of Kern County's greatest champions of health equity as demonstrated by working alongside our hospital leaders and public health institutions to enhance the health professionals educational opportunities locally. Our citizens' health concerns are at the forefront and the demographics of our nurses and other health care professionals must reflect the diversity of our community. As Chancellor over all of California's 116 community colleges, Sonya will continue to make health equity one of her key priorities, but now with a much broader impact…across the entire state.”

Doc Ervin | Chief Executive Officer, Grow Public Schools

“The Kern Community College District is the vanguard for dual enrollment and Early College throughout the state, which is facilitating a college-ready environment throughout our rural areas here in Kern County. This is directly a result of Dr. Sonya Christian's proactive and effective leadership. As Chancellor over all of California's community colleges, I am confident that Dr. Christian will scale up Early College to unprecedented levels statewide.”

Lauren Skidmore | CEO, The Open Door Network

“Sonya Christian's values of empathy and compassion guide everything she has done at BC and Kern CCD, and those values are in lockstep with everything we do to serve those facing hard times here at The Open Door Network. As Chancellor for the largest system of higher education in the US, Sonya will create and reimagine a plethora of opportunities for the unhoused and those that are victims to violence in California to earn a college degree.”

David Villarino | President /CEO at FIELD Institute

“Dr. Christian is an outstanding pick. She is known as an intellectual power house and someone who is committed to underserved communities and economic equity through educational access.”

Christian Clegg | City Manager, City of Bakersfield

“Sonya is a forward-thinking and visionary leader who is focused on developing a training pipeline into renewable energy careers, which is why the City of Bakersfield partnered with Kern CCD on their Department of Energy application for community microgrids. On behalf of the City of Bakersfield, I'd like to congratulate her on her elevated role overseeing all of the state's community colleges.”

Mary Barlow | Kern County Superintendent of Schools

“Sonya is a tenacious and vocal advocate for Kern County students, and she is respected for her unwavering focus on their behalf. Under her tenure, the California Community Colleges' Chancellor's Office will accelerate its adoption of dual enrollment, and guaranteed transfer admissions into the Cal State and UC systems. We are fortunate to have such a champion for students in this important role.”

Aaron Resendez | Superintendent, McFarland Unified School District

“It's been a tremendous pleasure getting to work alongside Sonya Christian for the last few years. She has been one of the greatest allies to rural high school students here in McFarland. As Chancellor of the California community colleges, every high school student in the state will get the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of Early College.”

Cornelio “Corny” Rodriguez | Emeritus Dean of Instruction, Bakersfield College

“At the end of my professional career, I had the distinct pleasure of working alongside Sonya on so many initiatives that have transformed the lives of our students, which propelled Bakersfield College and Kern CCD to recognition on a national level. As she moves into her new role as statewide chancellor, I know that she'll keep Kern County, the Central Valley, and the populations we serve at the front of her mind as she's administering policy for all California community college students.”

Raji Brar | Chief Operations Officer, Countryside Market and Restaurants

“Equity isn't just a buzzword for Sonya Christian. It's embedded in the fabric of everything she's done to serve the students of the Kern Community College District. She's a deeply empathetic and caring person who will serve all community college students with compassion as state chancellor.”

Dee Slade | Executive Director, African-American Network of Kern County

“Under Dr. Christian's stewardship, success and graduation rates for African-American students at Bakersfield College has increased exponentially through outreach programs like Umoja, A2MEND, and partnerships with other community based organizations. Her philosophy of student success with equity will now be expanded statewide in her new role as Chancellor of the California Community College. It has been a great pleasure to work alongside Dr. Christian for so many years, and I am so proud of what she has accomplished and will continue to accomplish over the course of her career as a higher education leader.”

David Torres | Criminal Defense Attorney; Partner, Torres-Stallings, A Law Corporation

“Under Sonya Christian's bold leadership, the Kern Community College District has created hope and opportunity to thousands of Kern County's most impoverished and disadvantaged residents. I can think of no one that is better than Sonya Christian to lead the state's community college system. As a former Trustee for the State Bar of California, I look forward to seeing how the state chancellor's office will facilitate diversity in the law profession under Sonya's leadership.”

Sandy Woo-Cater | Project Lead, Human Trafficking and Health Equity, CommonSpirit Health

“Sonya cares deeply about creating a brighter future for young people through the uplifting power of education. All of the initiatives she has led during her tenure as a higher education thought leader are grounded in equity, innovation and devotion to the communities she serves. She will bring a particularly important Central Valley lens into her leadership position over the largest system of higher education in the United States.”

Gian Gayatao | Student Trustee 2021-22, Kern Community College District

“As president of Bakersfield College and chancellor of the Kern Community College District, Dr. Sonya Christian has dedicated herself to be a champion for students. She has worked relentlessly to ensure that all students have access to programs and opportunities that will help them achieve their educational goals and beyond.”