Celebrating Women's History Month

March 5, 2025

Dear Campus Community,

Chaffey College proudly celebrates “Women’s History Month” for the month of March, highlighting the many contributions women have made to our world.

While there are many women who have made our country a better place, I wanted to take a moment to highlight several women in leadership within our Chaffey community who are giving back in countless ways.

For instance, our Governing Board Immediate Past President Kathleen Brugger, who earned an associate’s degree from Chaffey College, has been serving our Panthers since 1993. She previously worked for San Bernardino County as a social worker. Governing Board Vice President Gloria Negrete-McLeod, another proud Panther for life, authored and advocated for legislation in support of women’s rights and protections as a member of the California State Assembly, State Senate and United States Congress. And Governing Board President Deana Olivares-Lambert is a community leader and advocate for increasing access to higher education throughout the region. Through her work serving as an executive board member for the Children’s Fund and as a member of the National Latina Business Women Association of the Inland Empire, she continues to give back to our community.

Alumna and author Beverly Cleary ’36, devoted her career to writing books that have captured the imaginations of children through her various characters, including the famous Ramona Quimby and her adventures in girlhood.

Actress and alumna Meagan Tandy ’08 brought to Chaffey College the program “Girl Talk” – an annual conference for girls and young women to attend skill-building workshops, connect with each other and have fun.

Many other women who have attended and graduated from Chaffey College are out in the world making a difference in their communities each day. We are proud of all our Panthers!

I encourage you to mark your calendars for these upcoming events in continued celebration and support of Women’s History Month:

• Flawed But Focused: A faculty lecture by Instructor of Communication Studies Elizabeth Encarnacion – Noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, March 13.
• The Importance of Having Diverse and Multilingual Leaders:A faculty lecture by Associate Professor of Anthropology Allison Tripp – Tuesday, March 25 from noon to 1 p.m.
• Chaffey Flix screening of “Mona Lisa Smile”– 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, March 27.

I also encourage you to visit the Chaffey College Library’s “Women’s History Guide,” which contains a wealth of historical resources, literature and media celebrating important female leaders.

Sincerely,

Henry D. Shannon, Ph.D.
Superintendent/President