Illegal Immigration
Lilia Tanakeyowma
Dean of Student Affairs at Santa Ana College and also directs their Office of School & Community Partnerships.
As Dean of Student Affairs, Lilia Tanakeyowma oversees all aspects of student life at Santa Ana College – from student government, leadership development programs, and student activities – as well as leads student outreach and recruitment efforts for the college. In her role as Director of the Office of School & Community Partnerships, Ms. Tanakeyowma oversees several specially-funded projects aimed at preparing students early for college and equips them and their families with the tools necessary to access college entry and success. Ms. Tanakeyowma works in collaboration with K-12 school districts within the Santa Ana College service area, CSU Fullerton and UCI.
Ms. Tanakeyowma is currently working towards a doctoral degree in Educational Leadership through a joint program with the University of California, Irvine (UCI) and the University of California, Los Angeles. She holds an M.S. in Educational Administration from California State University, Fullerton and a B.A. in Spanish Literature from UCI.
In addition, Ms. Tanakeyowma serves on local boards within the Orange County area. In particular, she serves on the Executive Committee and co-chairs the Grants Committee for the HealthCare Foundation for Orange County which grants funds to local community-based organizations and hospitals to remove the barriers to access to health care for the county’s poorest residents. She also serves as Secretary to the board of Latino Health Access, a non-profit organization which provides free education programs to more than 20,000 county residents per year.
Lilia has been the recipient of numerous awards during her long career as an educator and community advocate in Orange County. Among these are a Community Builder Award from the City of Santa Ana, a Civil Rights Leadership Award from the California Association of Human Rights Organizations, LULAC Hispanic Woman of the Year, and United Way of Orange County’s Shining Star Award. Ms. Tanakeyowma was been featured in the Orange County Metro magazine as one of Orange County’s 25 Top individuals.
