Ruth Cabrera Santos

Ruth has committed her life to breaking the barriers that impede the success and achievement of disproportionately impacted students in their pursuit of higher education. She is a fervent believer in financial and economic freedom and believes that higher education is one of the most effective tools to change the trajectory of student lives and the lives of our communities as a whole. Ruth has over 17 years of student services, strategic planning, program coordinating, institutional leadership, data analysis, and project management experience within

the California Community College System. Her “heartful of experience” is contributed to the combination of her multifaceted leadership roles as a past Board of Trustees member, program administrator, student success coach, accreditation team member, and institutional strategic planning and participatory governance leader and supplemented by her lived experience as a former foster youth alumnus and statewide student advocate.

Ruth specializes in designing and assessing student support programs that authentically “move the needle” on successful outcomes for minoritized student populations, including but not limited to basic needs programs, behavioral intervention resource team (BIRT), current and former foster youth, and formerly incarcerated student programs.