Luis Chavez
NCCHC Fellow 2023
Luis Chavez is a dedicated professional with a heart for serving others and a fierce focus on
equity-driven community building and institutional transformation approaches. With over three
decades of experience, Luis has organized, facilitated, and collaborated on projects primarily focused on disproportionately impacted students and educators across California community colleges. As a senior director at Career Ladders Project for sixteen years, he has worked tirelessly to address student success and equity issues in collaboration with over 75 community colleges across California.
Luis's career is built on a foundation of student-centeredness and equity-mindedness. With a diverse and extensive background in building collaborative and innovative approaches, Luis is committed to transforming the student experience and ensuring equitable access to postsecondary opportunities. As a facilitator, counselor, and advocate, Luis has extensive experience supporting students, faculty, professional classified, and counselors through equity-centered practices and professional development. Widely recognized for his expertise, he has collaborated with diverse partners across the state and national organizations in and out of the educational field.
Luis has spent years cultivating a statewide community of practice and network that supports community colleges and their educational and workforce partners to improve student success and equity. Throughout his career, Luis has built strong partnerships with nonprofit advocacy organizations and has been associated with various influential organizations such as the Puente Project State Advisory Board, California Community Colleges Organización de Latinx Empowerment, Guidance, Advocacy for Success (COLEGAS), United Latin American Citizens, and the Latino Institute for Corporate Inclusion, among others.
Luis is a proven, seasoned, energetic, and innovative professional driven by a mission to empower underserved students, particularly Latinos, to thrive in postsecondary education. He recognizes the importance of building familial prosperity, supporting students' identities, and valuing community
contributions. Luis advocates for equity and inclusion practices centered on student learning, development, and long-term success.
In 2022, Luis returned to community college to reconnect and ground his praxis of counseling and transformation by working directly with students as an Adjunct Counseling Faculty/Coordinator for Berkeley City College's Undocumented Community Resource Center (UCRC). In the fall of 2023, he
will assume a new leadership role as Counseling Department Chair, where he is dedicated to applying and supporting counseling intentionally and equitably, focusing on transformational principles of core counseling. He continues working with the Career Ladders Project in a part-time
assignment which has allowed him to work closely with community colleges across the state to improve counseling and teaching practices through a team and pathways framework.
Luis’ educational journey mirrors that of many students who aspire to make a positive impact. He is a proud product of Mount San Antonio College, where he began his academic path before transferring to UC Irvine, where he earned his B.A. in Social Sciences. Later, he completed an M.A. in Education
Counseling from CSU Dominguez Hills.
Luis's personal outlook and approach are deeply rooted in his upbringing and the influence of his single mother, who migrated from Mexicali, Mexico, to Los Angeles in search of better opportunities for her children. Witnessing his mother's dedication to her children's success and her frustration with
the systems she faced in their new home fuels Luis' drive to support his family, students, and community. He attributes his strong work ethic and commitment to finding a way forward in the face of challenges to his mother's teachings. He embodies his mother's teachings in both his work and
personal life, always seeking a way forward and embracing the motto "Adelante! y Si Se Puede!" His unwavering commitment to supporting students and communities with heart and humanity defines his professional bio and legacy of making a positive impact.
equity-driven community building and institutional transformation approaches. With over three
decades of experience, Luis has organized, facilitated, and collaborated on projects primarily focused on disproportionately impacted students and educators across California community colleges. As a senior director at Career Ladders Project for sixteen years, he has worked tirelessly to address student success and equity issues in collaboration with over 75 community colleges across California.
Luis's career is built on a foundation of student-centeredness and equity-mindedness. With a diverse and extensive background in building collaborative and innovative approaches, Luis is committed to transforming the student experience and ensuring equitable access to postsecondary opportunities. As a facilitator, counselor, and advocate, Luis has extensive experience supporting students, faculty, professional classified, and counselors through equity-centered practices and professional development. Widely recognized for his expertise, he has collaborated with diverse partners across the state and national organizations in and out of the educational field.
Luis has spent years cultivating a statewide community of practice and network that supports community colleges and their educational and workforce partners to improve student success and equity. Throughout his career, Luis has built strong partnerships with nonprofit advocacy organizations and has been associated with various influential organizations such as the Puente Project State Advisory Board, California Community Colleges Organización de Latinx Empowerment, Guidance, Advocacy for Success (COLEGAS), United Latin American Citizens, and the Latino Institute for Corporate Inclusion, among others.
Luis is a proven, seasoned, energetic, and innovative professional driven by a mission to empower underserved students, particularly Latinos, to thrive in postsecondary education. He recognizes the importance of building familial prosperity, supporting students' identities, and valuing community
contributions. Luis advocates for equity and inclusion practices centered on student learning, development, and long-term success.
In 2022, Luis returned to community college to reconnect and ground his praxis of counseling and transformation by working directly with students as an Adjunct Counseling Faculty/Coordinator for Berkeley City College's Undocumented Community Resource Center (UCRC). In the fall of 2023, he
will assume a new leadership role as Counseling Department Chair, where he is dedicated to applying and supporting counseling intentionally and equitably, focusing on transformational principles of core counseling. He continues working with the Career Ladders Project in a part-time
assignment which has allowed him to work closely with community colleges across the state to improve counseling and teaching practices through a team and pathways framework.
Luis’ educational journey mirrors that of many students who aspire to make a positive impact. He is a proud product of Mount San Antonio College, where he began his academic path before transferring to UC Irvine, where he earned his B.A. in Social Sciences. Later, he completed an M.A. in Education
Counseling from CSU Dominguez Hills.
Luis's personal outlook and approach are deeply rooted in his upbringing and the influence of his single mother, who migrated from Mexicali, Mexico, to Los Angeles in search of better opportunities for her children. Witnessing his mother's dedication to her children's success and her frustration with
the systems she faced in their new home fuels Luis' drive to support his family, students, and community. He attributes his strong work ethic and commitment to finding a way forward in the face of challenges to his mother's teachings. He embodies his mother's teachings in both his work and
personal life, always seeking a way forward and embracing the motto "Adelante! y Si Se Puede!" His unwavering commitment to supporting students and communities with heart and humanity defines his professional bio and legacy of making a positive impact.
