Pacific Oaks College and Children’s School (POCCS) announces the recent appointment of Board Chair Valerie Coachman-Moore, M.P.H., as the newest member of the Board of Trustees TCS Education System. Coachman-Moore is a longstanding member of the POCCS community and is the first African American woman to serve as the Board Chair for Pacific Oaks. She is a civic and community leader and has provided decades of excellence in service to the nonprofit, governmental, educational, faith, and philanthropic sectors.
Her recent election as a board member to TCS Education System, a nonprofit system of colleges advancing student success and community impact, will allow Coachman-Moore to bring insight and expertise to a broader consortium of higher education institutions across the nation.
“As a long-standing resident of Pasadena and Altadena, Valerie’s strong leadership, history, and commitment to Pacific Oaks and the community have been helpful in shaping our future. We are grateful for her active participation and collaboration. In partnership with a diverse Board of Trustees, Valerie has supported Pacific Oaks’ goal of moving the institution from ally to accomplice in matters of advocacy and social justice. I am confident that she will continue to bring her knowledge to TCS Education System,” said Dr. Jack Paduntin, president of Pacific Oaks College & Children’s School.
Coachman-Moore’s expansive career and volunteer work are rooted in values of mutuality, humility, inclusive participation, innovation, and accountability; tenets that align with Pacific Oaks’ values of respect, social justice, diversity, and inclusion.
Nearly 35 years ago, Coachman-Moore founded an organizational and community development consulting firm, Coachman-Moore & Associates Inc. (CMA) specializing in leadership development and capacity strengthen processes that enable individuals and groups to realize and sustain change. CMA is highly regarded for its approaches to community engagement, strategic planning, and project design and implementation. She launched her consulting practice as the City of Pasadena’s first childcare coordinator, facilitating 100 Pasadena early care and education stakeholders and wrote the first childcare policy for the city in 1987. She is a pioneer in her own right.
“I come from a family of trailblazers who broke barriers and opened doors for others to excel. Most were award-winning educators who inspired many through their unwavering commitment, talent, and innovative ways of teaching. Excellence was always the expectation for their students – that they too would succeed and pay it forward, no matter the odds,” said Coachman-Moore.
“One cousin, Alice Coachman, was the first African American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in London in 1948. Another, a special education teacher, was a part of the national standardization of the Individual Education Plan (IEP). Others have continued to set academic and scholarship records in their fields. It is a privilege to serve as a trustee for TCS and POCCS which honors both my family’s accomplishments through higher education as well as the diverse hopes of our students, mostly adult learners, across our system of schools.”
Coachman-Moore’s commitment to POCCS began in the 1988 when she and husband Solomon enrolled their children at Pacific Oaks Children’s School. Most recently, she served as Vice Chair for Pacific Oaks prior to assuming the Board leadership role. Coachman-Moore’s experience includes significant advisory and board roles with local organizations such as chairing the Pasadena Child Health Foundation and the Pasadena/Altadena chapter of Jack and Jill of America. She also co-chaired the Racial-Justice Advisory Committee and was a vestry member at All Saints Church in Pasadena.
About Pacific Oaks College & Children’s School
Through its unique progressive approach to teaching and learning, Pacific Oaks College and Children’s School (POCCS) offers an environment where perspectives and experiences play an integral part in students’ educational journey.
A not-for-profit, accredited higher education institution, Pacific Oaks offers teacher credentialing preparation as well as bachelor’s and master’s programs in a variety of fields, including education, early childhood education, human development, psychology, social work, marriage and family therapy, and business and management. POC is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) and is a member of the Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities (HACU). POC is an affiliate of TCS Education System, a nonprofit system of colleges advancing student success and community impact.
Pacific Oaks Children’s School provides nonprofit progressive early childhood education programs for children ages 6 months through 5 years and has pioneered achievements in the areas of anti-bias education, emergent curriculum, and peaceful conflict resolution.