The MiraCosta Community College District Board of Trustees on June 24, 2022, unanimously appointed Raye Clendening to a seat vacated by the resignation of Dr. David Broad. Clendening will represent Area 6, the northernmost portion of the MiraCosta College District, which includes north Oceanside.

 

“We are excited to continue working with Raye, an experienced educator and community leader. She currently serves as the Chair of the MiraCosta College Foundation and was an inaugural member of MiraCosta’s Independent Citizens’ Board Oversight Committee ensuring prudent expenditure of the voter-approved facilities bond. She will bring her significant talents, expertise, and energy to her role as a trustee,” said Dr. Sunita “Sunny” Cooke, Superintendent/President of MiraCosta College.

 

Clendening is one of San Diego County’s most respected educators. Now retired, she spent decades as a teacher in the Los Angeles and San Diego areas, before serving a combined 14 years as Principal for Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School; Maie Ellis Elementary School; and Potter Junior High School. She finished her career by directing all student services and special education programs for Oceanside Unified School District, where she worked with countless young people who went on to achieve success after attending MiraCosta College.

 

“Raye Clendening embodies the spirit of education. As a lifelong educator, Raye’s experience and passion will serve the Board and District well,” said Anna Pedroza, president of the MiraCosta College Board of Trustees. “I look forward to serving with her and continuing to expand college affordability and accessibility.”

 

Clendening attended a community college and understands firsthand the tremendous value they play in transforming lives. In fact, she attributes much of her career success to her early experiences at Pasadena City College. As a teenager, Raye did not have the money to go straight to a four-year university, so her local community college provided the bridge to complete her degree and pursue her passion as an educator.

 

Despite calls from her friends to slow down and enjoy the fruits of her labor, retirement for Raye was only the beginning of a new career in volunteerism. Encouraging, empowering, and educating the community is her life’s work. As Raye explains, there was a community of individuals who invested in her early on and she sees her volunteer service as another way to invest in the lives of similar young students in the community.

 

Raye is a founding member of the North County Business and Professional Women’s Organization, as well as the North County African American Women’s Association. She has also served on the Board of Vista Community Clinic, the African American Advisory Board for California State University, San Marcos, Women’s Resource Auxiliary Board, and the Oceanside/MiraCosta GearUp Advisory Board.

 

Thanks to her efforts to eliminate equity gaps and prepare students to be college and career ready, Raye has received numerous accolades and awards honoring her impact in the region, including the Fran Alshire Leadership Award from Leadership North County, the Middle Grades Principal of the Year for the State of California, and the City of Oceanside Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Service Award.

 

Clendening will immediately assume the responsibilities of the Trustee position. Her appointed term concludes November 2022, when she will have the opportunity to run for the elected position in fall.