A San Diego native with a passion for California Community Colleges, Kristen Huyck brings her professional experience as a public affairs practitioner and career dedicated to education to her position as the Director, Public & Governmental Relations at MiraCosta College. Kristen also served as a staffer for a county supervisor and state Assemblymember. Prior to being a staffer, she consulted, fundraised, and managed 75+ political campaigns ranging from state, local, and special district races. 

Kristen received her Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership from Pepperdine University where her dissertation examined incentives for part-time faculty involvement in the shared governance process within the institution of California Community Colleges. She holds both a master’s and bachelor’s degree in political science.  She has been teaching at community colleges since 2007 as a political science associate faculty member and has also served on doctoral dissertations committees and taught history, sociology, and organizational leadership at other southern California institutions of higher education.