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Dear 911±¬ÁÏÍøState East Bay Community,

Happy new year and new semester! I am reaching out today with some important updates.

Firstly, I am extremely pleased to introduce Ms. JoLani Hironaka, J.D., who has joined our team as the principal administrator responsible for investigating complaints of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation (DHR) as well as other Title IX complaints. Ms. Hironaka brings over 25 years of experience in equal opportunity and intersectionality, emphasizing the belief that everyone deserves to be heard. Her background includes managing complex cases and collaborative teams in areas such as healthcare, urban school districts, legal services, and community-based organizations. A Stanford Law School graduate, Ms. Hironaka’s expertise led her to organize a network of multilingual service providers for immigrant women on intimate partner violence. Called AWARE, the consortium included leaders in legal services, shelters/housing, income replacement, mental health, social work, safety, workers rights, and law enforcement, representing eight Asian language communities. 

JoLani’s appointment rounds out our enhanced Title IX/DHR “We Care” team that includes Terri LaBeaux (Title IX Coordinator), Ellen Maloney Ruhe (Title IX/DHR Office Support), Michelle Luqueno-Diaz (Confidential Campus Advocate in Counseling Services), and Balvinder Kumar who serves as our Project Manager for these efforts. Please join the team and me in extending a warm East Bay welcome to JoLani Hironaka.

I also would like to provide an update on the progress made by the Title IX Implementation and Training Committees. During fall semester these groups focused efforts on reviewing feedback from the Cozen O’Connor report and developing both a draft Communication Plan and draft Implementation Plan to the Chancellor’s Office for review and approval. Once approved, we will share both plans widely with the campus community.

I want to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who serves on our committees as well as the entire We Care Team. I thank you as well for your attention to these updates. Please stay tuned for more announcements as we finalize our Title IX Communication and Implementation Plans. 

Best regards,

Cathy Sandeen

January 17, 2024