Santa Barbara City College

Responsible for overseeing, managing, and supporting more than nine Student Service departments, which include the following areas:
- Academic Progress/Probation/Disqualification
- Articulation
- Admissions and Records
- Counseling and Matriculation
- Enrollment and Retention Services
- EOPS/CARE, CalWORKs, Guardian Scholars, Next Up
- Foster Care and Kinship Parent Education
- Parent/Student Liaison
- University Transfer Center, Transfer Academy, and Transfer Achievement Program (TAP)

Co-supervise and support Raices (a Latinx first-year experience program). Co-lead an ongoing reorganization of the Student Services Division at SBCC. Served two years as an Executive Team Member for the Advancing Leadership Association, a founding participant in the EEO Grant, an alumnus of the Great Deans Program, and a member of ACCCA.

Dean of Student Affairs

Reported directly to the Vice President of Student Affairs. Responsible for planning, organizing, controlling, and directing instructional and student support operations, activities, departments, and programs. Coordinated and directed communications, information, resources, and personnel to meet the college's instructional and student support needs and enhance the educational effectiveness of assigned departments, programs, and functions. Additionally, supervised and evaluated the performance of assigned faculty and classified personnel.

Interim Dean of Student Affairs

- Develop, implement, and maintain support services for students interested in or participating in EOPS/CARE, CalWORKs, Guardian Scholars, Next Up, and a summer bridge program. These services include recruitment, orientation, admissions, assessment, counseling, tutoring, transfer support, career guidance, and financial aid services. Continually monitor, evaluate, and adjust these services to effectively meet student needs, specifically in a post-COVID academic environment.
- Establish and maintain support services for EOPS/CARE, CalWORKs, and summer bridge programs, including recruitment, orientation, admissions, assessment, counseling, tutoring, transfer support, career guidance, and financial aid services.
- Provide consultation and technical assistance to students on EOPS/CARE, CalWORKs, summer bridge programs, related college opportunities, admissions, enrollment, financial aid, and support services. Respond to inquiries and provide technical information on college standards, timelines, requirements, policies, and procedures.
- Attend, lead, and participate in various meetings and committees. Prepared and delivered oral presentations on EOPS/CARE, CalWORKs, and summer bridge programs and services. Coordinate and conduct student orientations and represent the college on assigned task forces.

Director of EOPS/CARE/CalWORKS and Guardian Scholars 

West Valley College

Experienced bilingual academic and personal counselor with a focus on transfer, retention, and student success, with a specific emphasis on advocating for first-time college students and mental health prevention/resources. Served on the Mental Health Advisory Team, Counseling Lead for First Year Experience, and Committee Chair for the annual High School Counselors' Conference. Lead Early Alert to Instructional Faculty and served as a Transfer Counselor. Extensive experience teaching Counseling courses such as College Success, Career and Lifestyles, and Cross-Cultural Perspectives from 2007 through 2019.

Tenured Counseling Faculty

Oversaw and led West Valley College's TRIOS SSS program, which aimed to provide academic support and guidance to first-generation community college students. The program helped students meet basic college requirements, attain an associate's degree, and transfer to a four-year program. Program efforts increased college retention and graduation rates while fostering a college-minded culture and creating a safe space on campus.

Program priorities included:
- Providing academic tutoring in various subjects such as reading, writing, study skills, mathematics, and science.
- Assisting students in postsecondary course selection and offering information on various financial aid programs and scholarships.
- Offering education and counseling services to improve financial and economic literacy and assisting students in applying for graduate and professional programs.
- Providing individualized counseling for personal, career, and academic matters and exposing students to cultural events and educational programs not typically available.
- Offering mentoring programs and securing temporary housing during breaks for homeless and students impacted by foster care.

TRiO SSS Program Director

Boundless Love, Inc (Nonprofit Ministry)

In "Boundless Love: Healing Your Marriage Before It Begins," married couple Javier and Christina Llerena share an intimate account of their relationship—one that has been transformed through faith—and the lessons they have learned as they’ve weathered life’s storms together.

Whether you are single, dating, engaged, or married, "Boundless Love" provides you with a spiritually-based path you can walk in order to prepare your heart, mind, and soul for a relationship that heals you, blesses you, connects you, and inspires you. 

Over the years, Javier and Christina have helped more than 1,000 couples prepare for marriage. Boundless Love includes their personal invitation to bring your faith into your marriage before you actually say “I do,” and their promise that what God has in store for your marriage is far better than anything you can create or imagine on our own.

Co-Author of "Boundless Love: Healing Your Marriage Before It Begins"

City of Palo Alto

Lead, facilitate and support community coalition organized around suicide prevention and youth well-being in Palo Alto. My work focused on supporting student success in the context of total emotional well-being, healthy school and community relationships, and empowering student voice and leadership about their needs. I worked from a strength-based model in collaborating with students, parents, school staff and community members.

Project Safety Net Director

Sacred Heart Community Service

Oversee Education Department of comprehensive one-stop community center in downtown San Jose. Programs include adult education, youth after school and summer academic camp, and early childhood and parents of preschooler programs.

Education Manager

Co-Chair of High School Counselors' Conference Committe; Counselor for Earlly Admission Program (for incoming high school seniors), Middle College Counselor and Basic Skills Counselor. Teach College Success, Jump Start and Counseling 12: Careers and Lifestyles as well as counsel students on short-term and long-term academic goals.

Associate Counseling Faculty, West Valley College

Cañada College

Counsel and teach students in life planning, career development and educational planning. Counselor for summer LEAP program catering to basic skills students. Partner and teacher for the SAFE grant at Sequoia High School in Redwood City, CA.

Counselor

Our Second Home

Developed community-based early childhood program from beginning including hiring and training a multi-disciplinary staff and collaborated extensively with fellow community-based organizations, parents, teachers and child care providers. This included grant writing and ongoing community collaboration.

Early Childhood Program Supervisor

Christina Llerena has more than 25 years of experience in bilingual social work and education at all levels. She has worked in diverse communities in New York City, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Santa Barbara, CA. Christina is an expert in strengths-based program management and California Community College Student Services. She has a strong background in higher education, professional development, and empowering multi-disciplinary teams. Christina is a change-maker, a social justice advocate, and a lifelong student.

Christina's specialties include advocacy for equity and student educational access, student services leadership, personnel accountability, categorical program and budget management, academic counseling, student behavior intervention, enrollment management, professional leadership development, and change management.

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Christina Llerena, MSW's Linkedin Analytics

Christina Llerena, MSW

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