Dr. Nori Sogomonian-Mejía, born and raised in San Bernardino, has served on San Bernardino Valley College’s faculty since 1994.

San Bernardino, CA – The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) has announced that Dr. Nori Sogomonian-Mejía, a distinguished faculty member at San Bernardino Valley College (SBVC), has been selected as one of 54 participants in the prestigious Enlace Mid-Level Leadership Program. This six-month leadership development initiative aims to enhance the leadership pipeline for mid-level professionals at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) and across higher education, focusing on increasing Latino/a representation in leadership roles.

Dr. Sogomonian-Mejía has an extensive academic background, having earned both her BA and MA in Spanish with an emphasis in linguistics from UCLA. She also pursued studies at the University of Guadalajara, Mexico, and the University of Madrid, Spain. She has been a Spanish faculty member at SBVC since spring 1994 and enjoys teaching students at all levels while engaging with the college’s diverse population. In 1999, she was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship, spending a semester teaching linguistics at the Central American University in Managua, Nicaragua. Dr. Sogomonian-Mejía earned her Ed.D. as part of the first cohort in Educational Leadership at California State University, San Bernardino in 2011.

“We are incredibly proud of Dr. Sogomonian-Mejía’s selection into the Enlace Leadership Program,” said Dr. Gilbert Contreras, President of San Bernardino Valley College. “Her dedication to our students and her passion for advancing diversity and equity in education make her an outstanding representative of our college. We look forward to the valuable insights and experiences she will bring back to our campus from this opportunity.”

The Enlace Mid-Level Leadership Program offers comprehensive training in key areas such as academic and student affairs management, diversity, equity, inclusion, and higher education advocacy. The program includes online sessions and in-person meetings at HACU’s Annual Conference in Aurora, Colorado, in November 2024 and the National Capitol Forum in Washington, D.C., in April 2025.

Dr. Dina Humble, Vice President of Instruction at SBVC, added, “Dr. Sogomonian-Mejía’s participation in this program aligns perfectly with SBVC’s commitment to fostering leadership that champions diversity and equity. We are excited to support her journey and see the benefits it will bring to our institution and the wider community.”

The Enlace Mid-Level Leadership Program is generously supported by Capital One and the Mellon Foundation, providing select participants with grant funding for professional development.

For more information about the Enlace Mid-Level Leadership Program, visit hacu.net.

About HACU

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, founded in 1986, represents more than 500 colleges and universities in the United States, Latin America, Spain and school districts throughout the U.S. HACU is the only national association representing existing and emerging Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). The Association’s headquarters are in San Antonio, Texas, with regional offices in Washington, D.C., Sacramento, California, and Chicago, Illinois.