Patricia Salinas - Interim District Director, Center of Excellence

The Interim District Director, Center of Excellence oversees grant project deliverables, goals, implementation, and evaluation. She serves as an external liaison to regional workforce partners and works to support data and reports to institutions throughout our region. The COE Director will ensure the prioritization of requests equitably through the region, will continuously review data and workforce relevance, and ensure staff meet project outcomes. The COE Director is dedicated to advancing educational excellence and fostering innovative learning environments. With over twenty-five years of experience in education, she brings a wealth of knowledge in grant project development, assessment, and educational administration. Patricia has an array of experience from across the public and private education sector serving in her prior roles as project director for UC Merced, Chief Diversity Officer and Title V Director for Fresno Pacific University, and Business Account Specialist for Proteus Inc. Patricia earned her M.A. in Higher Education Administration and Leadership from California State University, Fresno, and her B.A. in Business Administration from Fresno Pacific University.

Ignacio Faria - Senior Research & Planning Analyst

The Senior Research and Planning Analyst develops labor market analysis reports and conducts equity gap analysis between student completion and employment outcomes for the Centers of Excellence for Labor Market Research. Included are studies on work-based learning and apprenticeship programs, labor market analysis on up to 50 occupations by region, and training workshops to enhance expertise in labor market data and workforce-needs analysis.

Ignacio is transferring from within State Center Community College District, where he has served as a Research and Planning Analyst at both Reedley College and Fresno City College. In these roles, Ignacio was responsible for a broad range of duties, including writing queries, developing dashboards, and creating surveys. He led recurring projects focused on examining metrics related to disproportionately impacted students, dual enrollment, student preparedness and success, developing and measuring institutional set standards, and providing data for Title V grants.

His academic and professional background in student success and equity research provides a strong foundation for his new role at COE, where he will focus on workforce and economic research. Ignacio brings a wealth of experience and a strong background in institutional research, making him a valuable addition to our team. Ignacio holds an M.S. in Statistics and a B.S. in Business Administration from California State University, East Bay.

Angela Steitz - Program Specialist

The Program Specialist performs workforce needs assessment research, oversees regional marketing programs, and promotes Centers of Excellence programs and services to the region. Angela is responsible for reviewing labor market data and identifying high-demand industries and economic trends to assist the district’s program development and marketing efforts.

Angela is highly skilled in providing administrative, marketing, and communication support. Her experience spans research, data analytics, report production, and content creation for newsletters, social media, and websites—all aimed at promoting products and services effectively. Angela is detail-oriented and excels at customer service, ensuring that all interactions are handled with the utmost care and professionalism. Her ability to analyze data and translate it into actionable insights will be a tremendous asset as we continue to develop and promote programs that meet the needs of our community.

Angela brings a robust background in business administration, marketing, and communication, making her a valuable addition to our team. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in marketing from California State University, Fresno.

Questions? Contact us at coe@scccd.edu