Title: President
Company: Los Angeles Mission College
Location: San Bernardino, California, United States
Dr. Judith Valles, president of Los Angeles Mission College, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Educators for dedication, achievements, and leadership in academic administration and local government.
Though Dr. Valles did not initially intend to pursue a career in education, she grew passionate about teaching while assisting fifth grade classes in Barstow, California, during the early stages of her career. Following this period, she realized that she had found her purpose and vowed to make a difference in the lives of each and every student. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Redlands in 1956 and a Master of Arts in Spanish literature from the University of California Riverside in 1966. Though she initially established herself as a Spanish instructor at San Bernardino Valley College, she began to excel in various administrative positions, such as the head of the department of foreign language, the chair of the humanities division, the administrative dean of academic affairs and the executive vice president of academy and student affairs. For her contributions, as well as her commitment to extracurricular activities, Dr. Valles was inducted into the San Bernardino Valley College Hall of Fame.
As the president of Golden West Community College from 1988 to 1995 and mayor of the city of San Bernardino from 1998 until 2006, Dr. Valles is proud to have become the first Latina president of a college or university in the State of California and the first Latina Mayor of a city of over 100,000 residents in the United States. Throughout her career, she has been honored with many accolades, including her designations as a Woman of the Year by the California State Senate in 2003, an Outstanding Community Leader by the Community Foundation in 2002, a Woman of Distinction by Business Press and an Influential Latina of the Year by Hispanic Lifestyle in 1998. In 1999, Dr. Valles was named as the Humanitarian of the Year by Catholic Charities, the Citizen of the Year by the Boy Scouts of American, the Empire Woman of the Year by the California State Assembly and the Woman of the Year for the state of California.
Additionally, Dr. Valles is a recipient of the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award and the Outstanding Public Service Award from the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. She is proud to have been presented with an honorary doctorate from the University of Redlands in 2000 prior to concluding her career as the president Los Angeles Mission college in 2011.
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