Bias Education Webinar Series
Unpacking Biases: Conversations That Matter to the MiraCosta Community is a thought-provoking webinar series that fosters greater awareness and understanding of the various biases today and their impact on our MiraCosta College community. Featuring distinguished speakers from diverse fields, the series offers unique perspectives. Whether you're a student, faculty member, or part of our extended community, this series will provide valuable insights into how biases shape our experiences and what we can do to foster a more inclusive environment. Join the Bias Education Support Team (BEST) for meaningful discussions, enrich your understanding, and be part of the solution.
Wednesday, September 6 with Rick Barton
Topic: Anti-Semitism
- Deeper dive on those tropes
- Antisemitism Uncovered Toolkit
- More about the rise of antisemitism
- Six Facts About Threats to The Jewish Community
- 10 Ways to Have Conscientious Conversations on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
- Book: Jonathan Sarna's American Judaism: A History
- Book: Leonard Dinnerstein's Antisemitism in America
- Book: Deborah Lipstadt's Antisemitism: Here and Now
- Book: Hannah Arendt's Origins of Totalitarianism
- Book: Robert Wistrich’s A Lethal Obsession
This series aims to shed light on biases that are common today, such as anti-Semitism, and how they impact our MiraCosta community. Our featured guest this month is Rick Barton, an experienced lawyer and an advocate for social issues. Barton often speaks about conflicts in the Middle East, anti-Semitism, the Holocaust, and topics related to religious freedom.
About the Speaker: Rick Barton brings a wealth of experience from multiple arenas. He is a partner at the San Diego law firm of Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP, where he has specialized in representing healthcare providers for over 25 years. A seasoned litigator, Barton has argued cases in various courts, including the California Court of Appeal, California Supreme Court, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Outside of his legal practice, Barton has served in local and national leadership roles in the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) for over 30 years. These include Chair of the San Diego Regional Board, National Vice-Chair of International Affairs, Chair of National Leadership, Chair of the National Education Committee, and Chair of the National Task Force on Education Equity. He currently serves as a member of ADL’s Global Advisory Council and Co-Chair of San Diego Region’s Civil Rights and Government Affairs. Barton is an impassioned speaker on subjects like conflict in the Middle East, anti-Semitism, the Holocaust, religious freedom, and church-state issues. He has traveled internationally to engage with government and organization officials, further enriching his perspectives.
Wednesday, October 4 Sandra Miles
Topic: Anti-DEI
9-10 a.m.
About the Speaker: Dr. Miles has spent most of the last two decades serving as a leader and administrator in higher education. Specifically, she has extensive experience managing crisis, strategic planning, developing leadership programs, working with persons with disabilities, mediating disputes, and serving as a Dean of Students, Chief Student Affairs Officer, Chief Diversity Officer, and Deputy Title IX Coordinator. In 2022, Sandra joined Academic Impressions full-time as the Head of Practice for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion due to her experience with the organization as a subject-matter expert who facilitated trainings and workshops in higher-ed, as well as to her passion for making DEI concepts resonate for individuals from all walks of life.
Dr. Miles completed her doctoral work at Florida State University in 2012, earning a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration. She also completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Central Florida. In addition to her career and educational achievements, Sandra is on the editorial board for EVOLVE Magazine – First Coast Edition; is a former Chair of the NASPA Center for Women Board; is a former National Director of the Black Female Development Circle, Inc.; and is the current President of the Palm Coast-Flagler County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Wednesday, November 1 Dr. Jonathan Henderson
Topic: Anti-Blackness
9-10 a.m.
About the Speaker: Dr. Jonathan Henderson is an instructional designer, professor, and researcher with over a decade of experience advancing equity in higher education. Currently, Jonathan works as Faculty Coordinator for Professional Development at Southwestern College and is a Lecturer in the Department of Africana Studies at CSU Dominguez Hills. Jonathan is a proud MiraCosta College alumnus where he obtained an A.A. degree is Liberal Arts. Jonathan also holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in Sociology from CSU Dominguez Hills, and an Ed.D. in Community College Leadership from San Diego State University.
Wednesday, December 6
Topic: Anti-Immigration Bias
9-10 a.m.
About the Speakers:
Miriam Feldblum is co-founder and executive director of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, an alliance of over 550 college and university leaders of public and private colleges and universities, working to support immigrant, refugee, and international students, and advance forward-looking immigration policies and practices at the federal, state and campus levels. A national expert on the intersection of immigration and higher education and author of Reconstructing Citizenship: The Politics of Nationality Reform and Immigration in Contemporary France, Miriam has written extensively on undocumented, refugee, and international students, immigration policy and higher education, and highly skilled labor in the United States. She previously served as vice president for student affairs, dean of students, and professor of politics at Pomona College, as special assistant to the president, faculty research associate, and senior director at the California Institute of Technology, and as assistant professor at the University of San Francisco. She received a BA in political science from Barnard College, and MA, MPhil, and PhD degrees in political science from Yale University. She is a non-resident fellow at the Migration Policy Institute.
Luz Bertadillo Rodriguez serves as the Director of Campus Engagement. She has over 9 years of experience working in the k-12 educational system, college access non-profit sector, and higher education immigrant student affairs. She started her career working with students in Undocumented Student Programs in California and New York. More recently, her professional and personal work has revolved around merging mental wellness and immigration through the founding of the UndocuChats Collective. Luz holds an AA and BA in Psychology from Mt. San Antonio College and UC Berkeley and a MSW from Columbia University.
Felecia Russell is the Director of the Higher Ed Immigration Portal at the Presidents’ Alliance for Higher Education and Immigration. Most recently, Felecia was the Director of Undergraduate Admission and adjunct professor at California Lutheran University. Felecia is passionate about providing access to higher education for all marginalized groups and shedding light on the invisibility of UndocuBlack experiences. Her expertise includes college access, undocumented student services, strategic planning, research, teaching, and higher education. Felecia earned her undergraduate degree from Cal Lutheran, her master’s in Public Policy from Pepperdine University, and her doctorate from Temple University.
Wednesday, February 7
Topic: Anti-LGBTQIA+ with Jordan Daniels
9-10 a.m.
About the Speaker: Jordan Daniels (he/him) is equipped with a decade of storytelling experience through an intersectional lens, and has spent his professional career in the nonprofit space. His lived experience as a Queer Afro-Jew deepens his commitment to cultivating diverse and inclusive leadership in the communities he serves, with his work centering on justice and liberation. Jordan is the cohost of the iHeart Podcast BFF: Black, Fat, Femme, which focuses on amplifying the voices, experiences, and stories of BFFs around the country. He also works towards creating spaces of belonging for Black and Brown LGBTQ+ communities in San Diego through volunteer service. Jordan is an alumni of several professional programs including the San Diego LGBT Center's Young Professionals Council and Schusterman Family Philanthropies ROI, and Jordan was recently honored with the Young Leadership Award from the San Diego Jewish Federation.
Wednesday, March 6
Topic: Islamophobia with Dr. Amer Ahmed
3-3:45 p.m.
About the Speaker: Dr. Amer F. Ahmed is an organizational strategist who helps institutions and leaders address diversity and inclusion, equity, race, and intercultural development through consulting, coaching, group facilitation, and keynote speeches. He brings his identity as the son of Indian Muslim immigrants and extensive years as an intercultural and diversity consultant as the sources of a pivotal understanding of the depth of equity and inclusion work.
Wednesday, April 3
Topic: Anti-Trans
9-10 a.m.
*Webinar recording will be available until May 25, 2024.
About the Speaker: Andy Cofino (he/him) is a passionate consultant and educator with over 15 years of experience in social impact and educational organizations advocating for more inclusive spaces for LGBTQIA+ people. He currently serves as the inaugural Assistant Vice President for Diversity, Belonging and Well-Being at Princeton University. Andy previously served as the Director of the UCLA LGBTQ Campus Resource Center and also held roles at the NYU LGBTQ+ Center and on the Executive Board of the National Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals. Andy also serves as Co-Core Member for Transgender Inclusion for the National Association of Student Affairs Administrators (NASPA). He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and Women’s and Gender Studies with a minor in Italian from Pace University; a Master of Arts in LGBTQ Studies, Social Justice, and Creative Writing from New York University; and is currently pursuing his MBA at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
