Two Named To S.D. City College Foundation Board

SAN DIEGO, CA — A man and a woman -- the former a higher education administrator, the latter an ex-refugee now in the nonprofit field -- have been named to the San Diego City College Foundation board of directors, a spokesman said Friday.

Gerald Ramsey is vice president of Student Services at Miramar College and Yen Tu owns the firm Yen C. Tu Consulting.

The foundation assists students from underrepresented backgrounds with earning a degree and helps them transfer to a four-year college or university.

A longtime community college administrator who grew up in the South, Ramsey was forced to attend segregated schools even after the U.S. Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision abolished school segregation.

"City College is unique," said Ramsey, who spent 28 years at San Diego City College as a student services administrator. "I love City. Being on the foundation board has given me an opportunity to stay involved with the college and contribute to our students' success."

Ramsey said he knows the value a foundation can have on a student's life, "and at City, we're providing students with an opportunity to make a difference."

Ramsey's experience includes the California community colleges and University of California, Santa Barbara. He served as a San Diego Community College Management Association Board member and its president for five years.

He has also served on the boards of the Boys and Girls Club of San Diego, San Diego CAL-SOAP, California ARCHES and San Diego Black Chamber of Commerce. He has volunteered for Voices for Children and served on The San Diego Citizens Scholarship Foundation board.

Tu was among the 800,000 or so refugees known as "boat people" who fled their nation after the Vietnam War. She spent a year in a Malaysian refugee camp before moving to San Diego. Her experience with community nonprofits and the San Diego Community College District spans decades.

"City College is an amazing place for students, especially students of color, who may not have the same resources, looking for a pathway to a university," Tu said. "A lot of our students are working full-time and have other obligations. I'm grateful to be on the foundation so I can help our students reach their goal."

A brother of Tu's graduated from City College before he transferred to UC San Diego.

Tu serves on the San Diego Community College District's Propositions S and N Citizens' Oversight Committee. Her firm provides outreach services for underrepresented communities to corporations, government and nonprofits in the region.

Along with the state Board of Accountancy, Tu serves on the board of the San Diego Diplomacy Council and the Asian Business Association.

She is also is a member of the city of San Diego Asian Advisory Council and San Diego Association of Governments' 2020 Census Count Workgroup.

—City News Service