Brenna Leon Sandeford, an equity-focused leader experienced in working with diverse student populations, has been named the new Public Information Officer at the San Diego College of Continuing Education.

Leon Sandeford begins her tenure at the second largest noncredit institution in California on August 14. 

“Brenna Leon Sandeford’s experience in and dedication to advancing equity and inclusion for disproportionately impacted students fits well with the mission and vision at the College of Continuing Education, which is home to a diverse group of students and employees from different racial and ethnic backgrounds, genders, and socioeconomic standings,” said College of Continuing Education President Tina M. King, Ed.D. “We are excited to have Ms. Leon Sandeford join our team and promote the amazing programs that are contributing more than a quarter-billion dollars annually to the regional economy.”

A resident of San Diego’s Talmadge neighborhood, Leon Sandeford holds a master’s degree in postsecondary educational leadership and a bachelor’s degree in journalism, with a minor in marketing, from San Diego State University. Leon Sandeford currently is in a joint doctoral program at Claremont Graduate University and San Diego State University, where she is studying the impact of marketing and digital media on Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in postsecondary education. She has been managing day-to-day operations, including programming, marketing and social media at Southwestern College’s Learning Community Hub, which is home to the Puente, Umoja, Bayan (a Tagalog word meaning ‘home’), and CHEL (an Aztec/Nahuatl word meaning ‘rainbow’) student learning communities.

Prior to arriving at Southwestern College in Chula Vista, Leon Sandeford oversaw public relations, marketing, and communications for San Diego State University’s Educational Opportunity Program. She also served as a student development resource specialist at Grossmont College in El Cajon and as a child development center assistant with the San Diego Unified School District. She is well-versed in creating marketing materials, video production, and social media outreach.

“I’m honored to be working at a college that is playing a pivotal role in transforming the lives of large populations of students who come from the most vulnerable adult populations in our region,” said Leon Sandeford. 

The College of Continuing Education has, for more than 109 years, been opening educational pathways to people who may never considered college before. With seven San Diego campuses from Barrio Logan to Mira Mesa, the College of Continuing Education offers in-demand job skills training, courses that prepare students to pass the U.S. citizenship exam, lessons aimed at helping adults earn a high school diploma or equivalency, and more.