Dr. Nyree Berry is a candidate for El Camino College Trustee Area 4. Voting takes place on Nov. 5 as part of the general election.
A Los Angeles native and graduate of Dorsey High School, Dr. Berry attributes her passion and motivation for education and advocacy to her family dynamics growing up, her strong African Methodist Episcopal Church foundation as well as to the solid support system that she experienced at her alma mater.
“I was the editor in chief of the DorseyGram, our school newspaper while I was in High School. This is where I realized the power of information and awareness,” said Berry.”
“I was surrounded by supportive teachers, counselors and administrators while at Dorsey. In turn, that support and validation cultivated my passion to become a civically astute educator and to give that same inspiration to the young people that I came in contact with.”
Berry started her college journey by attending UC Riverside. When her younger brother was faced with a legal challenge, she transferred to CSUDH to be closer to home. Her brother’s situation helped her to realize the importance of advocacy in the justice system and in education. It was then that she decided to double major in Political Science and Sociology.
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While she recognized the importance of being a force for change in the Black and Brown community, she also realized that many experiences are complex and contradictory, yet shared by all members of the human community.
Berry reflected, “It was a White professor that impressed upon me that fact that I could never help and advocate for others unless I helped and advocated for myself. I needed to prepare myself for leadership, so that I could be a solid resource for the underserved and underrepresented. This mentor helped me to see the intersectionality of individuals across all ethnic and racial backgrounds and how it is important to think on a global level with regards to empowerment and social justice.”
After graduating from CSUDH, Berry served at the Watts Health Care Center in the Tobacco Elimination Project and later built a non-profit, which worked to reunify families that had been separated in the foster care system. Her education helped her to obtain state and federal contracts. As time moved forward, she saw how the larger companies were absorbing the smaller companies. It became increasingly difficult to obtain contracts. Once again, upon the advice of a mentor who was outside of her race, Berry enrolled at Pepperdine University to pursue her Doctorate in Educational and Organizational Leadership.
While completing her Doctorate, Berry obtained a position at Los Angeles Southwest College after participating in an internship program called (Project Match) which focused on finding teachers who had shared experiences with the students enrolled in California Community Colleges. It was there where she found her true calling: making education relevant for students.
Berry was then appointed to the LACCD Office as the director of African American Outreach. Her efforts were focused on outreach, recruitment and retention of Black students. In addition, she served as the inaugural executive director of the Race, Equity and Social Justice Center at Los Angeles City College. In these roles, Dr. Berry centered the programs and initiatives she led around equity and belonging. She created unprecedented opportunities for students, faculty, staff and administrators. Dr. Berry showed her forward thinking and cutting edge leadership by guiding a delegation of approximately 40 employees on the first international professional development excursion to Cape Coast, Ghana. Currently, Dr. Berry is a Sociology professor at Los Angeles City College. She also has a nonprofit organization where she guides and mentors young women of color from historically underrepresented communities.
Her current endeavor is to assume the position of leading the El Camino College Board of Trustees Area 4. This role will give her a broader platform to continue to inspire all stakeholders across various social, economic, racial backgrounds, and to change the trajectory of underserved and underrepresented community college students.
Her focus areas will be increasing enrollment, student retention and success, expanding workforce development opportunities to ensure that students who are not interested in transferring to a university are able to secure employment while earning a livable wage. Dr. Berry also intends to focus on improving working conditions for faculty and administrative professionals, ensuring fiscal accountability and stability, and maintaining a positive reputation for the school.
If elected, Berry will be the first African American female to serve on the El Camino College Board of Trustees.
Berry has been endorsed by Los Angeles County Democratic Party, New Frontier Democratic Club, Torrance Democratic Club, Faculty Association of California Community Colleges, American Federation of Teachers Local 1388, Los Angeles College Faculty Guild Local 1521, Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, International Union of Operating Engineers Local 12, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 11, and several elected officials.
To learn more, visit http://www.drnyreeberry2024.com/
