Southwestern College Governing Board President Roberto Alcantar has been named one of San Diego’s 40 Under 40 by the San Diego Business Journal.
In an awards ceremony Wednesday, Alcantar accepted the award as one of San Diego’s “young leaders, change makers and innovators who are making waves, creating impact and leaving a positive mark on the San Diego community.”
“This is a tremendous honor,” Alcantar said. “I am fortunate enough to blend my passion for social justice, equity and inclusion in my roles as a Southwestern College governing board member and as the senior director of the Chicano Federation.”
In the nomination submitted by the Chicano Federation to the newspaper, company President and CEO Nancy Maldonado praised Alcantar’s ability to build transformative initiatives on equity and inclusion at Southwestern College. In his role as governing board president, Alcantar has presented the initiative to a national audience through the Association of Community College Trustees.
When Alcantar was elected to the Southwestern College Governing Board in 2016 at the age of 29, he was one of the youngest college trustees in the nation.
In addition to his roles at the college and Chicano Federation, Alcantar currently serves as the president of the San Diego and Imperial Counties Community College Association Board Alliance. He has served as board president of the Alliance for Community Engagement, a non-profit organization that focuses on engaging and organizing the South Bay community. Alcantar also has served as an advisor to the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force, was a board member for the Borderview YMCA, the City of San Diego International Affairs Board and the League of Conservation Voters of San Diego. He also has been a member of the executive boards of the San Diego Leadership Alliance, the San Diego County Democratic Party and the Otay Valley Regional Park Citizens Advisory Board.
“Trustee Alcantar is a leader with a vision who remembers the personal impact that Southwestern College has had on his family,” said Southwestern College Superintendent/President Dr. Kindred Murillo. “He uses his passion for education to increase the opportunities for our students and our community.”
