News Release

Brenda Estrada Named Director of Special Programs at Santa Ana College’s Veterans Resource Center

​(Santa Ana, CA)—Rancho Santiago Community College District announces the appointment of Brenda Estrada, M.S.Ed., as director of special programs at Santa Ana College (SAC). In this role, Estrada will direct the operations of the college’s Veterans Resource Center (VRC). Her duties will include providing comprehensive reports to the U.S. Department of Education, evaluating program functions to ensure that student veterans are being adequately served, and supervising the VRC’s professional support staff.

The SAC VRC provides student veterans priority registration, accommodations for veterans with disabilities, distance learning, Board of Governors fee waivers, out-of-state tuition waivers, access to the college’s child development centers, work-study/campus job opportunities, and health and wellness services. In addition, the center furnishes access to a certifying official for help with accessing GI Bill benefits, specialized academic counseling, customized orientation and academic skills workshops, a book loan program, help with financial aid applications, and much more.

Since 2014, Estrada served as assistant director of educational access for the Veteran Resource Center at California State University, Fullerton (CSUF). In that role, she coordinated the veteran certification procedures, maintained all student veteran records, and served as a liaison with the Department of Veteran Affairs. Prior to that, she served as an outreach counselor and Veteran Certifying official at CSUF. Previously, she was academic director and acting director of Upward Bound Math Science at Cal Poly Pomona.

She earned a B.S. in human services and an M.S. in higher education from California State University, Fullerton. She is working towards earning an Ed.D. in educational leadership at California State University, Long Beach. Estrada has been recognized with the Woman of Distinction Award by Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva, the Outstanding Staff Support for Veterans at CSUF, and the Titan Excellence Award.

About the Rancho Santiago Community College District
Santa Ana College and Santiago Canyon College are public community colleges of the Rancho Santiago Community College District, which serves the residents of Anaheim Hills, Orange, Santa Ana, Villa Park, and portions of Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Irvine, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, and Tustin.. Both colleges provide education for academic transfer and careers, courses for personal and professional development, and customized training for business and industry.

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Contact: Judy Iannaccone

Phone: (714) 480-7503

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