Bernal Baca appointed to state community and technical college board

Submitted by Washington State Board for Community and Technical.

Gov. Jay Inslee has appointed Dr. Bernal Baca of Tacoma as a member of the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges.

Baca serves as executive director of Mi Centro, a Tacoma-based nonprofit that provides social, cultural and educational services to the greater Pierce County Latino community. Baca worked in the community and technical college system for over 40 years, including 30 years as a professor at Yakima Valley College and 10 years in government relations for the American Federation of Teachers Washington.

“I’m excited to bring my college and community service experience to the State Board as a board member,” Baca said. “It will be an honor to support and contribute to meeting the State Board’s vision of ‘leading with racial equity to maximize student potential’ for the hundreds of thousands of students served by our state’s outstanding community and technical colleges.”

Well respected in the state for his work on diversity, equity and inclusion, Baca is the vice chair of the Washington State Hispanic Affairs Commission, chair of the Racial Equity Team and co-founder and board member of the Equity in Education Coalition. He is also a trustee of the Tacoma Art Museum and board member of the Tacoma Chamber of Commerce. Past volunteer service includes tenure on the Washington State Board of Education under Gov. Christine Gregoire and past president of the Association of Multicultural Counseling and Development.

A native of Trinidad, Colo., Baca attended the University of Colorado in Boulder, Washington State University in Pullman and Seattle University in Seattle.

The nine-member, governor-appointed Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges provides leadership, advocacy, and coordination for Washington’s system of 34 public community and technical colleges. Each year, over 273,000 students train for the workforce, prepare to transfer to a university, gain basic math and English skills, or pursue continuing education.

Baca succeeds Phyllis Gutiérrez Kenney of Edmonds. Her term on the State Board ended April 7, 2024.