El Camino College Welcomes Commencement Speaker Ryan Will Smith El Camino College welcomes Ryan Smith, director of education programs and policy for the United Way of Greater Los Angeles, who will address the Class of 2014 at the 67th Annual Commencement Ceremony scheduled for 4 p.m. Friday, May 16 on the softball field. Parking and admission are free; no reservations required. “We welcome Mr. Smith to El Camino College, and we are honored that he will address students at commencement,” said Thomas Fallo, president of El Camino College. Smith oversees the education program and policy efforts for the United Way. He also oversees Communities for Los Angeles Student Success, a Los Angeles-based coalition of civil rights, education, and community advocacy groups dedicated to closing the opportunity and achievement gaps for students living in poverty. Before the United Way, Smith worked for former Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, where he led a team that improved parent involvement by more than 40 percent and built systems within schools to help support family, school, and community partnerships. Smith also founded the Parent College, which has served more than 5,000 parents. Smith is a graduate of UCLA, where he received a bachelor’s degree in political science and is currently a doctorate candidate at UCLA’s Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. He serves as an Annie E. Casey Foundation Children and Family Fellow and was named by Education Week as one of the “Ten Education Leaders to Watch” nationally. He also received the 2012 Families in Schools’ “Parent Engagement Leader of the Year Award.” While construction continues on the college’s new multi-purpose stadium complex, the 2014 commencement exercises will be relocated to the colleges softball field this spring. This $37.2 million project is supported by the 2002 Measure E facilities bond and includes the construction of a new stadium, with a running track and field for both football and soccer. As part of the commencement festivities, everyone is invited to join the Class of 2014 at the “Blue Carpet Event” during this year’s Commencement Reception from 1-3 p.m. on the Library Lawn. Expanding on the celebration introduced last year, a step-and-repeat backdrop will be available at the reception for graduates, family, friends, faculty and staff. Attendees are invited to take photos and post them online using the hashtag #ECCGrad to be included in ECC’s social media channels. ECC will be live-tweeting before, during and after commencement at @ecc_online. Alumni, friends, family and the ECC community are also encouraged to share their advice and best wishes to the Class of 2014. For more information about commencement, go to elcamino.edu/studentservices/activities/graduation.asp
Posted on: Mon, 05 May 2014 17:00:14 +0000
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