Dr. Linda Rose

Biography

Dr. Linda Rose currently operates a consulting and coaching business dedicated to helping clients create and implement plans to achieve their career goals in community colleges, non-profits, and corporations. Dr. Rose also serves as the coordinator and lecturer in the Educational Leadership Program at CSU Fullerton. She also serves as a part-time lecturer at California State University, Long Beach in the Student Development in Higher Education master’s Program. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Children’s Hospital, Orange County (CHOC), and as a member of Board and former Board President of the West Los Angeles College Foundation.

Dr. Rose retired from Santa Ana College following a four-year term as President that began in July 2016. Reporting to the Rancho Santiago Community College District Chancellor, her responsibilities included planning, organizing, and implementing educational policy and procedures to develop curriculum and student support services; budget management; enhancing partnerships with business, governmental and community organizations, as well as with P-12 and higher education institutions in the area; and leading the institution’s fund development efforts. As a graduate of the community college system, Dr. Rose dedicated her career to helping students begin and complete their higher education. She began her career at Cerritos College as a part-time English instructor. Eventually, Dr. Rose began full-time employment, earned tenure as a member of the English Department, served as the college’s Puente Program co-coordinator, and coordinated the college’s Program for Adult College Education. Both programs served under-represented students to ensure their success. She also served as Chair of the English Department and was later appointed Dean of the Liberal Arts Division. She went on to become Vice President of Academic Affairs at Santa Ana College, then President of Los Angeles Southwest College before returning to SAC as President.

As an academic leader, Dr. Rose has been a regular presenter, keynote speaker, and workshop facilitator at local and national conferences and meetings, including the Asilomar Leadership Skills Seminar, an intense four-day experience that focuses on issues facing women in community college administration. She also led Santa Ana College in the California Community Colleges Guided Pathways initiative, with the purpose to improve student outcomes for college completion. Also, while at SAC, Dr. Rose collaborated with faculty, staff, peer colleges and state officials to offer one of the first fifteen approved bachelor’s degrees at a California Community College: A Bachelor of Science Degree in Occupational Studies.

Dr. Rose served as a board member on the Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce and Santa Ana Workforce Development Board and served on the Boards for Economic Development and Youth Council. Her honors and awards include Cerritos College Outstanding Administrator, Cerritos College Outstanding Faculty for the Liberal Arts Division; Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers, Fifth Edition; and the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development Teaching Excellence Award. She was named a 2018 Woman of the Year by the National Hispanic Business Women Association, was inducted into the Youth on the Move, Inc.’s 2018 International Educators Hall of Fame, the 2018 Community Service Award from the Black Chamber of Orange County, the 2018 Pacesetter Award from the National Council of Marketing and Public Relations, and was named as the Education honoree for the 2020 OC Influencer for Good Award by the Institute for Community Impact. She earned her doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of California, Los Angeles; master’s degree in English Literature, Certificate of Completion in Rhetoric and Composition, and a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies all from California State University, Dominguez Hills; and her associate degree in liberal arts from West Los Angles College.

Dr. Rose travels and uses beading and mosaics as forms of relaxation and loves spending time with her twin grandsons!