Rabbi Laurie Coskey, Ed.D. joins the San Diego Continuing Education Foundation (SDCE Foundation) May 1, 2018 as the new Executive Director of the San Diego Gateway to College & Career (SDG2CC) program.

San Diego Continuing Education is the adult education division of the District and is the largest provider of noncredit education in California serving 44,000 students annually that are among the most diverse in California culturally, ethnically, and educationally. The SDCE Foundation supports the goals and mission of SDCE.

A student’s academic success can be tied to the emotional and social supports available to them beyond the classroom. SDCE has significantly increased these types of support resources over the past 18 months with new programs such as the SDG2CC. The program offers individual counseling in a case management style providing more individualized attention and mentoring; customized job search, paid internships, and community service opportunities for young adults ages 18-24 who are neither in school nor working.

Dr. Coskey has spent more than 30 years in professional positions of leadership addressing the needs of San Diego families and children—including more than 15 years at the Interfaith Center for Worker Justice and most recently at the United Way of San Diego County. As an accomplished community leader she has served San Diegans through a commitment to social justice, activism and advocacy.

“The leadership Dr. Coskey brings to SDG2CC will allow significant expansion of the program, and enable SDCE to serve record numbers of opportunity youth, and develop political and community relationships that will enhance the success and growth of the program,” stated Carlos O. Turner Cortez, Ph.D., President of SDCE.

She recently completed her service on the San Diego Workforce Partnership’s Policy Board, the Regional Task Force for the Homeless Board, and the San Diego College and Career Pathways Trust Grant leadership team. As a rabbi she has served the life cycle needs of the LGBT community throughout her career and has actively advocated for LGBT rights.

Dr. Coskey completed her undergraduate studies at Stanford University. She was among the trailblazers of women in the clergy and ordained as a rabbi at Hebrew Union College—Jewish Institute of Religion. She earned her doctorate in Leadership Studies at the University of San Diego.

About Gateway to College

Gateway to College is a national network that supports communities in building sustainable pathways for opportunity youth. The Gateway model began at Portland Community College and is now successfully implemented in more than 40+ community college settings throughout the nation. The San Diego Gateway to College and Career at SDCE is the first model in San Diego and intends to serve hundreds of students in its first year of implementation, with that number growing to thousands within three years.

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San Diego Continuing Education is the adult education division of the San Diego Community College District. It was one of the first community college continuing education institutions in California to meet the standards for independent accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Approximately 40,000 students are served per academic year at seven campuses in San Diego. Noncredit classes and career training are available at no cost, including online options.

Classes are free because San Diego Continuing Education is part of the California system of higher education. Funding also comes through business and industry partnerships.