MEET THE
EQUITY AVENGERS

OUR STORY

At a California Community College CEO Conference over 10 years ago, Dr. Pamela Luster facilitated an accreditation panel, during which Dr. Keith Curry made an impassioned statement requesting support for Compton College. Unfortunately, due to time limitations, he wasn’t able to finish his statement, and the session ended. Dr. Luster apologized personally for not being able to provide that platform, and the discussion began. Both discovered that they started their official CEO positions at the same time, just that year. The two had the opportunity to discuss common ground and the work central to their careers, equitable outcomes for all students, and in particular, racial equity.

Over the next several years, Drs. Curry and Luster served together on various higher education equity boards and initiatives. They found that while their early life backgrounds were dissimilar, their future vision looked very similar. These common leadership issues regarding student-athletes, racial equity, basic needs, and more have been a hallmark of their shared work. In Spring 2020, the Equity Avengers created #EquityChat, sponsored by the College Futures Foundation, a weekly conversation held on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) discussion for higher education leaders and the online community.

Dr. Tammeil Gilkerson has also been a  leader in several statewide efforts to find solutions that address students’ basic needs, support undocumented and mixed-status students, and achieve social justice through focused racial equity efforts. In addition, she spent years working alongside Drs. Curry and Luster as president of Laney College and Evergreen Valley College and now Chancellor at Peralta Community Colleges, and she was inspired to accept the invitation to join the Equity Avengers as its third member in May 2022.

Dr. Curry and Dr. Luster established the Equity Avengers to recognize their united work – addressing community college students’ needs. Over the years, they have presented at national and state conferences on the following topics: community college athletics, basic needs of college students, dual enrollment, diversity, equity, and inclusion, community college CEO leadership, student completion, and guided pathways.

Meet The #EquityAvengers

EQUITY AVENGERS

Dr. Tammeil Gilkerson

Dr. Gilkerson is passionate about building learner-centered institutions that reflect students’ lived experiences, provide hope, and practice love. She recognizes that the core of this vision is the need to cultivate and nurture leadership and community building at all institutional levels. Through her work, she creates spaces where individuals can be loved, supported, and affirmed as they engage in the vulnerable act of learning and leading with authenticity, courage, and humility.

Connect with this Avenger:

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Read Full Equity Statement
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Equity Statement

I believe we are responsible for building life-affirming classrooms, programs, and services that celebrate our students’ inherent worth and make visible our commitment to their success. First, we must recognize the persistent pattern of racial stratification and disparities for traditionally underrepresented students on our campuses. Suppose we are committed to racial equity and antiracist work. In that case, we must commit to interrogating the institutional systems and structures that contribute to these disparate outcomes through focused inquiry and action-planning at the course, program, service, policy, and procedural levels. We cannot stay neutral in the struggle against racism. We must confront how racism, power, and privilege may show up in our curriculum and pedagogy and how we can work to address it. A focused commitment to racial equity in student success is essential if we believe in building learner-centered institutions that reflect our students’ lived experiences, provide hope, and practice love. I come to this work as a leader committed to inquiry, reflection, and action. I hope to stay continuously connected to the vulnerable act of learning to model that education is more than a static outcome but an ongoing transformative process.

Full Bio

Dr. Gilkerson is passionate about building learner-centered institutions that reflect students’ lived experiences, provide hope, and practice love. She recognizes that the core of this vision is the need to cultivate and nurture leadership and community building at all institutional levels. Through her work, she creates spaces where individuals can be loved, supported, and affirmed as they engage in the vulnerable act of learning and leading with authenticity, courage, and humility.

From her days as a student leader at UC Berkeley to her direct work advancing economic opportunity and empowerment for historically underrepresented communities, Dr. Tammeil Gilkerson has demonstrated a life-long commitment to social justice, equity, and inclusion. For over two decades, she has actively served in roles engaged in meeting the educational needs of community college students. She continuously seeks new ways to imagine and create learning environments and services supporting student success.

MISSION, VISION, AND VALUES

WHAT MAKES US EQUITY AVENGERS

Mission

Our mission is to engage, educate, and empower higher education organizations and individuals to eliminate student opportunity and outcome gaps by cultivating partnerships and resources necessary to embed racial equity, critical humility, and learning across our systems.

Vision

Our vision is to build a higher education community focused on eliminating racial equity gaps by developing and supporting leaders who act and drive large-scale change, resulting in equitable student outcomes.

Values

Disrupt
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