SAN DIEGO (Press Release) — The San Diego Community College District has named Rabbi Laurie Coskey, Ed.D., former associate rabbi at Congregation Beth Israel, as its vice chancellor of Development and Entrepreneurship, a newly created position responsible for building even stronger initiatives to promote student success and persistence with philanthropists, private and public foundations and government entities focusing on emerging and existing funding priorities such as the San Diego Promise.
Coskey is a longtime San Diego resident adept at forging successful partnerships with government agencies and the philanthropic community; she has served for the past five years as CEO and executive director of the San Diego College of Continuing Education Foundation.
Her personal and professional life has been laser-focused on social justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. Among the trailblazers of women in the clergy when she was ordained as a rabbi at Hebrew Union College, Jewish Institute of Religion, in Cincinnati, Coskey was decades ahead of her time when she began officiating at same-sex commitment ceremonies after arriving in San Diego in the mid-1980s.
“This is an exciting moment for our district, as Laurie will be building a division tasked with establishing vital new revenue streams and exploring additional funding opportunities, be they through expanded philanthropy, contract and fee-based educational opportunities, or by better leveraging our facilities to bring more community members to our campuses for events and activities,” said SDCCD Chancellor Carlos O. Cortez. “Laurie Coskey represents the best of San Diego, and we are looking forward to her invaluable insight and contributions as vice chancellor of Development and Entrepreneurship.”
Coskey is scheduled to begin her first day as vice chancellor of Development and Entrepreneurship on March 1.
It is a position for which she is well suited.
As CEO and executive director of the San Diego College of Continuing Education Foundation, Coskey was responsible for overseeing all Foundation activities, including community engagement, program development, financial management, and project oversight. Her relationship-building and expertise in grant management secured more than $44 million from private, governmental, and nonprofit funding to support San Diego College of Continuing Education and played a critical role in creating SDCCE’s Pre-Apprenticeship Program in the construction trades and Gateway to College and Career programs. These programs, which she launched, include paid internships, connections to industry, support in securing a high school diploma or equivalency, and a college and career readiness course aimed at creating pathways to a productive future.
“I’m honored to continue contributing to the mission of the SDCCD through new and existing initiatives and programs in partnership with the larger San Diego community,” Coskey said. “Our administrators, faculty, and classified professionals strive every day to ensure that the students who come to our district get the support and resources they need to achieve their educational and career goals.”
Before coming to the SDCCD, Coskey worked as president and CEO at the United Way of San Diego County and as executive director at the Interfaith Worker Justice San Diego.
Coskey is deeply involved in the community and has served on the Community Advisory Board of The San Diego Union-Tribune, and as a member the San Diego Workforce Partnership’s Consortium Policy Board, the San Diego Regional Task Force on the Homeless Board of Directors, and the San Diego Convention Center Corporation, where she served as chairperson in 2016.
She completed her undergraduate studies at Stanford University and earned her doctor of education in organizational leadership at the University of San Diego. Her appointment is contingent upon approval by the SDCCD Board of Trustees.
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Preceding provided by the San Diego Community College District