The mission statement for the LASPA Center for Leadership at Scripps College has been described as creating “a community of scholars at Scripps so as graduates they may contribute to society through public and private lives of leadership, service, integrity and creativity”. The purpose of this petition is to make it clear that we, the 5C Women of Color Alliance, believe that Margo Okazawa-Rey is the best candidate for facilitating the completion of this mission. Throughout her academic, professional, and activist career, Dr. Okazawa-Rey has stood firm as an extraordinary leader. She is also no stranger to the Claremont Colleges as in 2009 the Claremont Colleges Intercollegiate Asian-American Studies Program created the Margo Okazawa-Rey Social Justice Fellowship for undergraduate research in her name (more info here: http://idaas.pomona.edu/programs/community-engagement/margo-okazawa-rey-summer-fellowship/) .

 

In terms of community service, these are just a few of the many projects that Dr. Okazawa-Rey has been a part of:

 

·        - From 2005-2007, served as Feminist Research Consultant to Women's Centre for Legal Aid and Counseling in Jerusalem and Ramallah.

 

·         -Co-founder of CARE (The Campaign for Anti-Racist Education) during the school desegragation crisis period.

 

·         -Served as a group-worker, clinical social worker, and administrator in organizations located in Boston, Massachusetts from 1974 to 1982.

 

 

During her extensive career in activism and community service, Margo Okazawa-Rey has also participated in Multicultural Organizational Development at San Francisco General Hospital's San Francisco Rape Treatment Center, Workshop Leader for Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, and trainer for Diversity in the Workplace at the National League of Cities in Washington, D.C.

 

(Her full CV can be viewed here: http://scrippscollege.edu/laspa/files/resume-okazawa-rey.pdf)

 

In light of her inspiring endeavors to promote transformational social justice, we believe that Margo Okazawa-Rey is the most fitting candidate for the position as Director of the LASPA Center for Leadership at Scripps College. Her career in academia and her professional accomplishments position her as an ideal facilitator of opportunities in "areas such as art, science, business, education, media, government and social entrepreneurship", as described in the LASPA Center’s mission statement. In addition to this, her experience in social justice would help to promote a community of transformative action, social responsibility, and critical reflection at Scripps.

 

Please join us in signing this petition so that the LASPA search committee will know that Margo Okazawa-Rey is the best fit for Scripps College’s future growth.