Session 1: Friday, Oct. 24, 2025
9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Fireside Room
Agenda
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 8:45 – 9 a.m. | Breakfast |
| 9 – 9:45 a.m. | |
| 9:45 a.m. – noon | Seeing the Big Picture: Who We Are and How Did We Get Here, Dr. Dianne Van Hook, Chancellor Emeritus, College of the Canyons |
| noon – 12:45 p.m. | Lunch and Networking with Guest Presenter |
| 12:45 – 1:45 p.m. | Dare to Lead: Transformation and Designing the Way to Growth and Opportunity, Dr. Dianne Van Hook |
| 1:45 – 2 p.m. | Summary and Closing Thoughts |
Documents and Links
Homework Assignment:
- Develop a Community Team Project idea and email it to Nathaly Aguilar at aguilarnathaly@deanza.edu by Wednesday, Nov. 5th. Please include the following in your proposal:
- A narrative description of the project
- Benefit to the college
- Project timeline
- Resources required
- Our next Leadership Academy Session 2 will allow you to hear from various CEOs, their journeys, and how they plan for the future in an effort to create opportunities for their students. In preparation for that session, please review the college's draft Strategic Plan 2027-30 and draft Strategic Enrollment Management Plan 2027-30. Be prepared to share with the group two-three of the goals/objectives you are actively working on.
About Dr. Dianne G. Van Hook
Chancellor Emeritus, Santa Clarita Community College District/College of the Canyons
Dr. Dianne Van Hook retired in 2024 after 36 years of service as CEO of the Santa
Clarita Community College District and College of the Canyons. She presided over a
district that covers 367 square miles and serves an ever-increasing and diverse population
numbering more than 296,000 people. Located in the third largest city in Los Angeles
County, College of the Canyons is the fourth largest employer in the Santa Clarita
Valley and is described by community leaders as an innovative, cutting-edge, responsive,
flexible, resourceful, high-quality institution of higher learning.
When hired in 1988, Dr. Van Hook became the youngest serving California Community College CEO at 37 years old. She was one of only five women to serve as a district level CEO at that time (of 73 community college Currently, she has the record as the longest serving CEO in the California Community districts). College system.
At College of the Canyons, Dr. Van Hook provided the vision, energy, commitment, flexibility and courageous leadership style to guide the college through a period of remarkable innovation and advancement, to achieve outstanding progress across multiple metrics:
- From an $8 million annual budget to $270 million.
- From 60 full-time faculty to more than 220.
- From 44 degree and certificate programs to 248.
- From less than 200,000 square feet of classroom, lab and office space to nearly 1 million square feet on two campuses.
- From 4,800 students per year to 33,481.
- From $109,000 in annual fundraising revenue to $1.4 million.
- From less than $100,000 per year in grant funds to $16 million annually.
Under Dr. Van Hook’s dynamic leadership and inspired by her “can do” spirit:
- Community voters approved three bond measures over 15 years that provided $470 million to fund needed construction on the Valencia campus and the establishment of a second campus in Canyon Country.
- The college’s Division of Workforce and Economic Development grew to include the Employee Training Institute, Center for Applied Competitive Technologies, Small Business Development Center, plus other regional and statewide initiatives aimed at helping local companies remain competitive in their industries. The division generated $64.8 million in capital for local businesses, served 12,911 companies, and trained over 65,000 employees under her leadership.
- $44 million was secured to build and establish the University Center, which provides more than 40 bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees on campus at College of the Canyons, as well as services for employers and employees in the Santa Clarita Valley. Since the center opened in 2002, it has served more than 30,000 students, who have earned 3,800 degrees.
Dr. Van Hook is resourceful and a strong and consistent advocate for community colleges at the state and national levels. She has served as president of the Community College League of California (CCLC) Board of Directors; President of the Chief Executive Officers of the California Community Colleges (CEOCCC); and President of the Association of California Community College Administrators (ACCCA).
Her leadership has garnered wide recognition, including the Five Star Leader Award from the Community College League of California; the Harry Buttimer Distinguished Administrator Award from the Association of California Community Colleges Administrators; the Presidential Leadership Award from the Network of California Community College Foundations; and The North American Council for Staff, Program and Organizational Development (NCSPOD) President’s Award; Boy Scouts of America – Leaders of Character Honoree; the Betty Ferguson Foundation Woman of Honor; the Fifth Supervisorial District Los Angeles County Woman of the Year; a national leadership award from Phi Theta Kappa, the community college honor society; and Newsmaker of the Year Award by the Santa Clarita Valley Press Club; the No. 1 Most Influential Person in the Santa Clarita Valley’s Top 51 by The Signal; the SCV Business Journal’s Women in Business Lifetime Achievement Award; Single Mothers Outreach Empowering Hearts Iconic Woman Honoree; the SCVi Vision in Education Award; and the SCV Chamber of Commerce’s Lifetime Achievement Award.