Board of Trustees

Board Members

President

Virginia Blumenthal

Virginia Blumenthal, JD, was elected to the Board of Trustees in 2006 and is currently serving as President of the Board of Trustees. Ms. Blumenthal is an alumna of RCC and is president of Blumenthal Law Offices. She holds a juris doctorate from California Southern Law School. Ms. Blumenthal has distinguished herself as an attorney, having been named one of "The 77 Best Female Litigators in California" and one of the "Top 100 Most Influential Attorneys in the State of California"; She is also a noted community supporter and philanthropist, having served as president of the Riverside Philharmonic, past chairman and coach of the Riverside County High School Mock Trial program for more than 20 years, head judge of the Riverside County Spelling Bee, and honorary chair of the American Cancer Society "Relay for Life."

Ms. Blumenthal served as the inaugural president of the RCCD Citizens' Bond Oversight Committee. Ms. Blumenthal is the 2004 recipient of the Athena Award of the Inland Valleys, the recipient of the 2008 YWCA Women of Achievement "Person Who Makes a Difference" award, and was recognized by the NAACP in 2008 with the Law/Justice Award. In 2008 she received the distinguished Gold Key Award from Soroptimist International of Riverside.

Vice President

Janet Green

Janet Green was elected to the RCCD Board of Trustees in 2006 and currently serves as Vice President of the Board. Ms. Green is chair of the Board's Planning Committee. Ms. Green is a former college professor and administrator for San Bernardino Community College. Ms. Green is interested in improving communication within the college community, fiscal accountability, and ensuring that career tech and transfer education opportunities are available to all community members.

Ms. Green serves on the Inland Valley Trustees Association, and on the Advisory Committee on Legislation for the Community College League. Ms. Green is currently president of the Board of the Fair Housing Council of Riverside County, Inc, a member of the Inland Agency Board of Directors, and former member of the State Bar Board of Governors, In addition, Ms. Green served for six years as the only public member on the Judicial Task Force to rewrite the Civil Jury Instructions.

Ms. Green is a graduate of the University of Redlands, and earned her master's degree in Administration of Vocational Education from California State University, Long Beach.

Secretary

Mark Takano

Mark Takano was elected to the Riverside Community College District Board of Trustees in 1990 and is the Board's longest serving member presently. Mr. Takano is Board Secretary and serves as chair of the Board's Resources Committee. During his tenure on the RCCD board, he also has served five terms on the California Community Colleges Trustees board and is past chair of the Inland Valley Trustee and CEO Association. Mr. Takano served as a member of the Chancellor's Commission on Innovation in California Community Colleges.

Mr. Takano is involved with many community groups, including, but not limited to, the Community Advisory Board of the Children's Spine Foundation, the Children's Coalition Executive Board, the Asian Pacific Islander Caucus of the California Democratic Party, the Association of Latino Community College Trustees, Asian Pacific Americans in Higher Education, the Chancellor's Asian Pacific Islander Community Advisory Center at UCR, and served as chairman of the Riverside Mayor's Task Force on the Digital Divide. He is a recipient of the Martin Luther King Visionaries award.

A native of Riverside, Mr. Takano graduated from Harvard University with a bachelor's degree in Government and currently teaches English and social studies at Rialto High School.

Members-at-Large

Mary Figueroa

Mary Figueroa was first elected to the Riverside Community College District Board of Trustees on November 7, 1995, having emerged from a crowded field of 11 candidates and one open seat. Trustee Figueroa was last re-elected by voters in November 2008 and is past president of the Board of Trustees. Presently Ms. Figueroa is chair of the Board’s Governance Committee, and, in a statewide capacity, serves on the 21-member California Community College Trustees Board. (To view Ms. Figueroa's complete bio, click here.)

 

 

Jose Medina

Jose Medina was first elected to the Riverside Community College District Board of Trustees in 1997 and is in his third term on the Board. He presently is chair of the Teaching and Learning Committee.

A teacher of Spanish, Ethnic and Chicano Studies at Poly High School with the Riverside Unified School District, Mr. Medina is a former Peace Corps volunteer who also has taught history classes at the College of the Desert and RCC, and adult education classes at the California Institute for Women in Chino, CA.

In 1985 and 1996, Mr. Medina received National Endowment of the Humanities fellowships and in 1986 was awarded a research fellowship from the Organization of American States. He is a former member of the Jurupa Unified School District Board and has served as an elected delegate to the Democratic National Convention. He was a member of the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce Leadership Riverside Class of '98, and serves as an RCC Puente mentor.

 

STUDENT TRUSTEE, 2009-10

Brianna Duru