An Equity Avenger Continues to Advocate for Social Justice

When it comes to equity in higher education, Dr. Tammeil Gilkerson has been a leader. Her work around students’ basic needs, supporting undocumented and mixed-status students, and achieving social justice through focused racial equity efforts has made her a rising star in community college leadership.

It is no surprise then that Gilkerson, who was appointed chancellor of the Peralta Community College District (PCCD) earlier this year, has been part of The Equity Avengers, an initiative started by Dr. Keith Curry, president of Compton Community College, and Dr. Pam Luster, President Emerita of San Diego Mesa College, focused on creating an equitable higher education landscape and increasing access for those historically marginalized by academia.

Dr. Tammeil Gilkerson“I call Oakland my home, and my roots run deep in the East Bay. These communities, our communities, hold immense significance for me,” Gilkerson said at the time of her appointment. “Within Peralta, I see a wealth of brilliance and remarkable progress happening at the colleges and across the district. I’m eager to play a role in enhancing a multitude of outstanding programs and services, all guided by a commitment to equity and social justice.”

In her new role leading Berkeley City College, College of Alameda, Laney College, and Merritt College in northern Alameda County, she will continue to focus on that.

“The mission of this district is really rooted in equity and social justice,” says Gilkerson, whose previous leadership stints included serving as president of Evergreen Valley College and Laney College.

Gilkerson also served as vice president of academic and student affairs at Contra Costa College and was the inaugural diversity, inclusion, and innovation officer for the Contra Costa Community College District. She began as a professor of psychology counseling at Chabot College. She helped lead as vice president of academic affairs at San José City College and dean of Counseling and Matriculation at Evergreen Valley College.

The 60-year-old Peralta Community College District now overwhelmingly serves a large percentage of underrepresented students; many are first-generation college students. Most of the students in her district are Latinx, followed by Asian and Black students.