2023

Jesse currently serves as the Assistant Vice Chancellor of Information Technology Services at Rancho Santiago Community College District, where he is responsible for the overall leadership and administration of the Information Technologies Services Department. Jesse oversees all aspects of information technology, including enterprise applications, infrastructure and telecommunication services, cloud computing, data analytics, academic technology, and information security and compliance.
Jesse has over 23 years of Information Technology experience in a variety of industries, including 16 years in various IT management and supervisory roles, 12 of which have been within higher education. Jesse holds an MBA with focus on Information Technology, Management and Business strategy and a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, as well as ITIL, CISOA and EDUCAUSE Leadership Institute certifications.

Sherman is a principal of Public Agency Law Group. Sherman’s practice is devoted to representing public education institutions in construction, purchasing, facilities and general business matters. He has decades of experience assisting CCDs in navigating the confusing complexities of public procurement laws, rules and regulations. He is a member of the LA County Bar Association and is admitted to practice in all California state courts, all United States District Courts in California and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Kevin Flanagan is a program manager for SPURR’s Renewable Energy Aggregated
Procurement (REAP) Program. Kevin has 15+ years of experience working in the energy
industry with a focus on renewable energy, RFP management, feasibility studies, and
contract negotiation. Kevin is a graduate of Cal Poly SLO and more than anything enjoys
spending time with his family exploring the world.

Dr. Anthony Maciel is the Associate Vice President / Chief Information Systems Officer at MiraCosta Community College District where he oversees the Information Technology Services division. With an educational background in engineering, management, and higher education leadership, his IT management career expands over two decades with a successful record implementing complex enterprise-level systems that transform education and create more equitable opportunities for students. Dr. Maciel is a technology visionary leveraging technology to improve student success, enhance academic programs, and increase operational efficiencies while ensuring IT systems are secured and data safeguarded. He is well-versed in the complex state and federal IT regulatory compliance California community colleges operate in.

April Marin is the Executive Director, Contract, Procurement, and Risk Management Services for the Santa Clarita Community College District. She has over seventeen years of hands-on contract experience, including education, healthcare, and medical laboratory agreements. April is highly regarded by her colleagues for her can-do approach and takes special pride in helping others, especially when they have unique purchasing or contract needs. She oversees over $50 million in Purchase Orders each year, and her department was recently awarded the Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award from the National Procurement Institute for the second year in a row. Her District was 1 of only 14 higher education organizations in the United States and Canada to receive the award. She currently serves as an alternate Board member on the Statewide Association of Community Colleges (SWACC). She is the Vice Chair of the SWACC Claims & Coverage Committee, and she represents California community colleges on the Schools Association for Excess Risk (“SAFER”) Board of Directors. She earned her Associate’s degree in Social Science at College of the Canyons, and then went on to graduate with honors from California State University, Dominguez Hills, where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Applied Studies, with a minor in Public Administration.

Majd Askar is the Vice President of Business Services at Moreno Valley College (MVC). At MVC, Askar leads various college operations, including facilities and grounds maintenance, safety ​operations, food services, bookstore, campus operations, building security systems, college technology services and initiatives, grant support, and assures compliance with financial/business and contractual obligations. Askar serves as a member of the senior leadership team, ensuring that the College achieves its strategic and operational goals, while maintaining the commitment to shared governance.

Lisa Mealoy is the Chief Operating Officer for the Community College League of California. She
oversees the District Services Division which includes Energy Services, its Solar and Storage and
Direct Access Electricity Program. She has been with the League for six years.

Mark B. Logan, Director of Purchasing and Contract Administration at Cerritos College, has over 20 years of experience and expertise in complex public procurement and contract management. In his current role, he is responsible for contracting, purchasing, public works, warehouse operations, mail, and telecommunications. Prior to joining Cerritos College, Mark worked at Chaffey College where he managed the purchasing services department for the college’s three-campus district; the Clark County Housing Authority, where he was fully responsible for the development of the agency’s contracts administration department; and Professional Community Management, administering a wide range of contracts for a private planned community.

Leadership contributions to the public procurement profession include serving on the FCCC CollegeBuys Advisory Group, Universal Public Procurement Certification Counsel (UPPCC) Board of Examiners (BOE) as a public procurement subject matter expert (SME), various board member roles for the National Institute for Governmental Purchasing (NIGP) California chapter, past co-chair for the Southern California Community College Purchasing Association (SCCCPA), delivering various public procurement presentations and workshops, and was awarded the inaugural 2015 Southern California Procurement Professional of the Year award.

Mark holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from CSU, Long Beach, Graduate Center for Public Policy and Administration, and has also earned the professional designations of NIGP Certified Procurement Professional (NIGP-CPP), Certified Public Purchasing Officer (CPPO), Certified Purchasing Manager (C.P.M.), Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB), and Accredited Purchasing Practitioner (A.P.P.).

Tina Nguyen Schwarz is a veteran in the world of SaaS based solutions across the supplier management, eSourcing, and Procue-to-Pay landscape. Tina brings a wealth of best practices from 20+ years of projects in both the private and public sectors with a focus on Higher Ed for the last 10 years as she helps colleges, universities and community colleges solve business problems and achieve measurable results with their eProcurement initiatives and transformation.

Paul Butler is a Client Partner with Newleaf Training and Development, based in Santa Clarita in Southern California. He is a Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) and a Chartered Management Accountant (CIMA), having qualified with Pricewaterhouse Coopers. Prior to starting Newleaf Training and Development in 2005, he served as a Regional Finance Director for Marriott International Hotels and Hilton International Hotels. Paul also served as the Director of Finance for Hilton Honors. Newleaf has served 23 of the California Community Colleges with Classified Professional Development and in 2016 opened a second office based in Orlando, Florida. In addition, Paul is a published author and a faculty member of The Master’s University in Santa Clarita. Originally from Staffordshire, England Paul has been married to his wife Gaynor since 1994, and they have two adult children.