State of the College

Brenda Thames, Ph.D.

Superintendent/President
El Camino College

Dr. Brenda Thames began her tenure as the seventh superintendent/president of El Camino College on July 1, 2021. With over 24 years of experience in instruction, student services, and administration in California Community Colleges, Dr. Thames is a proven leader dedicated to student success. She works collaboratively with El Camino faculty and staff to advance educational opportunities and economic mobility for the students we serve.

Dr. Thames most recently served as president of West Hills College Coalinga, and has served in a broad spectrum of positions including adjunct faculty, tenured faculty, faculty coordinator, department chair, program director, dean, vice president of student services, and vice president of instruction. She earned a doctorate in education from Oregon State University, master’s degrees in both social work and in public administration from USC, and holds a bachelor’s degree with a double major in sociology and social welfare from the University of California, Berkeley.

Heather Cook Newman

Principal PM Manager and Lead for the Dynamics 365 and Power Platform Community Success Engineering Team, Digital Transformation Platform Group
Microsoft

Heather Cook Newman currently serves as Principal PM Manager and Lead for the Dynamics 365 and Power Platform Community Success Engineering Team, Digital Transformation Platform Group at Microsoft. She leads a team of community program managers whose charter is engagement, evangelism, and growth by building strategy, programs, and connections for our community members with Microsoft.

Heather is a former Microsoft MVP for Office Apps and Services. Over the past twenty years, Heather led marketing for Global Cloud Microsoft ISV, AvePoint and founded her marketing consultancy, Creative Maven, and a software business. She has produced thousands of events, campaigns, and experiences in the high-tech and entertainment industries. Heather is also the host of the Mavens Do It Better Podcast, which features interviews with extraordinary everyday experts who light a spark in our world.

Heather lives in Marina del Rey, California and has extensively traveled the world both for pleasure and by speaking about Office 365, SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, and Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging. Heather is a published playwright and graduate of the University of Washington School of Drama, Seattle WA.

Moises Santander

Electrical Engineering Major
El Camino College

Moises Santander first started at El Camino College by taking robotics classes while still in high school to pursue his interests in robotics engineering. Since then, the electrical engineering major found many opportunities in his field and is part of an innovative startup that has support from NASA.

“El Camino has provided me with the skills and resources needed to excel as a STEM major. I am blessed to be part of a supportive community that has pushed me to overcome obstacles in pursuit of a career in robotics to become the first engineer in my family.”