Sonya Christian

Dr. Sonya Christian is chancellor of the California Community Colleges, the first woman to be appointed to this role. Previously, she served as chancellor of the Kern Community College District; she led Kern CCD to prepare the workforce of tomorrow for careers in emerging energy and climate technologies, with an insistent focus on equity by building community resilience and empowerment. She began her three-decade career in education at Kern CCD in 1991, first as a mathematics professor and later as division chair, then dean of science, engineering, allied health, and mathematics at Bakersfield College. In 2003, she joined Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon, as associate vice president for instruction, then vice president of academic and student affairs and chief academic officer. She returned to Bakersfield College in 2013 as president. In all of her roles, she has always been deeply committed to equity, which she has demonstrated through her work in the areas of Guided Pathways and Early College. From 2015 to 2022, she served on the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, including as chair. She also serves on the Public Policy Institute of California Higher Education Center Advisory Council, the Campaign for College Opportunity, and she chairs the California Community Colleges Women’s Caucus. She earned her BS degree from University of Kerala in India, her MS in applied mathematics from the University of Southern California, and her doctorate from the University of California, Los Angeles.