State Coordinator: Training Ground for Advanced Leadership

By: Sarah Villarreal

Serving as the regional coordi­nator for the Southern California ACE Women’s Network has been incredibly rewarding. Over the last year, our net­work has worked diligently to strengthen its infra­structure and expand its reach. Through newly formed committees, we are creating bylaws, growing member­ship, and cultivating opportunities for professional development and networking. The Women’s Leadership Forum, our network’s annual conference, is always the highlight of our activities, bringing together our members for a powerful day of learning and connecting.

Coordinating our productive and energetic network is challenging; however, serving as regional coordina­tor has provided me the unparalleled opportunity to work closely with an inspirational group of higher education women leaders. I am being mentored by encouraging role models, including Karen Haynes, presidential sponsor for the regional network. I have benefited from the stories of their journeys and have a newfound perspective on higher education leadership and my place in it. The ACE Women’s Network has afforded me a community, and I now have a greater confidence in my ability to contribute to moving the needle toward parity for women in higher education.

Most recently, the role of regional coordinator has helped to prepare me for my new position as associate vice president of community engagement at California State University, San Marcos. As associate vice president, I am focused on making meaningful university-community connections and nurturing relationships to meet collective goals. As regional coordinator, I am also working to facilitate meaning­ful connections and relationships within our network to support the advancement of women in higher education leadership. I have found a great deal of overlap in these two roles, and I appreciate how much my professional accomplishments are grounded in the work of our regional network. While it is difficult to articulate how grateful I am for all that the ACE Women’s Network has given to me—professionally and personally—I look forward to continuing to dem­onstrate my gratitude through service to this incredible organization.

Sarah R. Villarreal is the associate vice president of community engagement at California State University, San Marcos.