Marisa Herrera named Vice President for Students, Equity, and Success at Shoreline Community College

Dr. Marisa Herrera
VP for Students, Equity, and Success at SCC

Shoreline Community College is pleased to announce Marisa Herrera as the new Vice President for Students, Equity, and Success. The student support position was reenvisioned to better reflect the changing needs of Shoreline students.

“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Herrera to the Shoreline campus community. 

"This important position will assist the College in reaching the next level of our strategic work around inclusive excellence and service to every student,” says Cheryl Roberts, Ed.D., President of Shoreline Community College.

Herrera will be moving on from her role as Executive Director for Community Building and Inclusion at the University of Washington, where she developed diversity and cultural programming as part of her role overseeing the largest college cultural center in the nation. During that time, she was involved in the construction project that yielded a new 25,000-square-foot facility for the Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center, the first UW building named after an African American.

She also helped co-establish a dedicated space and support for undocumented students through the Leadership Without Borders program, assisted in the creation of a student food pantry, and served as a member of the Bias Response Task Force to implement a campus online reporting mechanism.

Prior to working at UW, she served as Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admission at Stanford University and Assistant Dean of Students on Semester at Sea, as well as worked in a variety of diversity and student services positions at UCLA, Northern Arizona University, and Arizona State University.

Herrera received her Doctor of Education from the University of Southern California. She has served on several national advisory boards, including the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education, the Association of Black Culture Centers, College Board Native American Student Advocacy Institute, and the Washington State Coalition for HB540 Undocumented Students.

She is engaged in local community work as a commissioner on the City of Seattle Human Rights Commission and Board Secretary for Casa Latina. In 2017, she was awarded the inaugural POC Voices and Visions award by the Evans School of Public Policy and was recognized as a 2015 “Rising Star” by Northwest Asian Weekly Women of Color Empowered Awards.

“I am thrilled to be joining the Shoreline community and can’t wait to get started to kick off the school year,” adds Herrera. “I was incredibly impressed with everyone I met during my time on campus and know that Shoreline is exactly where I am meant to be.”

Herrera will begin in her new role on September 15.


Founded in 1964 with leadership from the Shoreline School District and on land acquired with the help from the Boeing family, Shoreline Community College offers more than 100 excellent academic and professional/technical programs.