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Valley 200 – 2024: Erika Beck

By
Kelly Garcia
-

President, California State University, Northridge

Beck began her leadership of CSUN in January 2021 and is the school’s fourth consecutive female president. As president, Beck oversees a university of more than 40,000 students, faculty and staff. Under her leadership, CSUN has developed a new equity-centered strategic plan; realized record level giving, including the two largest gifts in CSUN’s history; and launched the Global Hispanic Serving Institution Equity Innovation Hub. Prior to joining CSUN, Beck served as president of CSU Channel Islands from 2016 to 2021. She is a board member of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce.

Valley 200 – 2024: Celeste Rodriguez

By
Kelly Garcia
-

Mayor, City of San Fernando

Rodriguez is serving her first term on the San Fernando City Council, having been elected in November 2020. She was named mayor in December of 2022. Rodriguez has led the creation of a Community and Business Resource Center in City Hall. She is a graduate of San Diego State University and the University of Southern California, where she earned a master’s degree in social work. She has worked in public service for over a decade, starting in the Recreation and Community Services Department in San Fernando, followed by the City of Los Angeles Mayor’s Office of Economic Opportunity.

Valley 200 – 2024: Cameron Smyth

By
Kelly Garcia
-

Mayor, City of Santa Clarita

Smyth, a Santa Clarita native, is the mayor of the city. He was first elected to the Santa Clarita City Council in 2000 and served six years. He was the mayor for two of those years. From there, he went on to serve in the California State Legislature as an Assemblyman for the 38th District. In 2010 he was named chair of the Assembly Local Government Committee, making him the only Republican to chair a major policy committee at the time. He served a six-year term. He has since been elected to the Santa Clarita City Council in 2016 and 2020 and has been mayor five times.

Valley 200 – 2024: Ben Allen

By
Kelly Garcia
-

Senator, California State Senate

Allen was first elected to represent the 24th Senate District in 2014 and is now serving his third term. He chairs the senate’s Environmental Quality Committee and co-chairs the legislature’s Environmental Caucus, is a member of the Legislative Jewish Caucus, chairs the legislature’s Joint Committee on the Arts and the Senate Select Committee on Aerospace and Defense. He has authored nearly 60 laws in various areas, from environmental protection to electoral reform. Fighting the climate crisis and protecting California’s natural resources are among Allen’s priorities. He is a member of the California Film Commission and was part of an effort to extend the Film & TV Tax Credit Program to further support California’s film industry.

Valley 200 – 2024: Armida Ornelas

By
Kelly Garcia
-

President, LA Mission College

In her tenure at the Los Angeles Community College District, Ornelas has served as a faculty member in political science, Vice President of Instruction at East Los Angeles College and is currently the President at Los Angeles Mission College. For over 25 years she has been dedicated to quality instructional programs that would lead to transfer, credential attainment and career opportunities for community college students. Ornelas was raised in East Los Angeles. She went on to pursue her undergraduate studies at UCLA and graduated with a double major in Chicana/o Studies and Sociology.  She earned her master’s degree in public policy studies from the University of Chicago and her doctorate from the UCLA School of Education.

Valley 200 – 2024: Barry Gribbons

By
Kelly Garcia
-

President, L.A. Valley College

Gribbons has been president of Los Angeles Valley College since August 2019. Valley College has more than 18,000 students. Prior to arriving at Valley College, Gribbons had 19 years of leadership experience at College of the Canyons, including four years serving as Deputy Chancellor. From 1996 to 1999, he was senior researcher and project director at UCLA’s Center for the Study of Evaluation where his work coordinated large-scale education reforms to benefit underserved students. During this time, he was also a consultant to the U.S. Department of Education. Gribbons has co-authored more than 520 research reports during the past 19 years. He has taught at California State University, Los Angeles and College of the Canyons.

Valley 200 – 2024: Anthony Portantino

By
Kelly Garcia
-

Senator, California State Senate

Portantino represents California’s 25th State Senate District, which stretches along the 210 Freeway from Sunland/Tujunga to Upland. His accomplishments include increasing funding for special education and authoring legislation that created California’s umbilical cord blood collection program, pushed back school start time for middle and high schools, raised the purchase age of firearms to 21 and placed the suicide hotline number on student identification cards. Prior to his years as a representative, he worked in film and television production and served on the California Film Commission.

Valley 200 – 2024: Alberto Carvalho

By
Kelly Garcia
-

Superintendent, Los Angeles Unified School District

Carvalho has been superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District since February 2022. He oversees the district’s 2022-2026 Ready for the World strategic plan. He previously led Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Carvalho has served on the National Assessment Governing Board and as a committee member of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine. Under Carvalho, LAUSD has established seven new education compacts with local municipalities, embarked on a “school greening” initiative and secured upgraded credit ratings, which has saved the district money.

Valley 200 – 2024: Scott Wilk

By
Kelly Garcia
-

Senator, California State Senate

Wilk represents California’s 21st Senate District, including the Santa Clarita Valley, Antelope Valley, Victor Valley, as well as a northern portion of the San Fernando Valley. Wilk was named Co-Chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus in 2023. As a Senate presiding officer, a member of the Little Hoover Commission and State Allocation Board, Wilk has worked to ensure vulnerable Californians have a voice. In recognition of this, he received Easter Seals California’s 2018 Senate Champion Award and the Compassionate Legislative Champion Award from Social Compassion in Legislation in 2019.

Valley 200 – 2024: Dianne Van Hook

By
Kelly Garcia
-

Chancellor, President, College of the Canyons

Van Hook has served as Chancellor of the Santa Clarita Community College District for 36 years, overseeing the Valencia and Canyon Country campuses of College of the Canyons, where she also serves as president. Under her leadership, the college has grown to serve nearly 34,000 students, offering over 260 degree and certificate programs. Additionally, it provides training programs to more than 2,700 local companies. Van Hook’s extensive involvement in education and community service includes serving on over 38 state boards and receiving more than 30 awards for her leadership.

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