Meet The President
Annebelle Nery, Ph.D. was appointed President of Santa Ana College (SAC) in January 2022. Reporting to the Rancho Santiago Community College District Chancellor, her responsibilities include planning, organizing and implementing educational policy and procedures to develop curriculum and student support services; budget management; enhancing partnerships with business, governmental and community organizations, as well as with the K-12 and higher education institutions in the area; and leading the institution’s fund development efforts.
In her 25 years of experience in education, Dr. Nery has served in a number of administrative capacities most recently as Vice President of Instruction and prior to that Vice President of Student Services at College of the Desert. In these roles she worked successfully with colleagues, faculty, staff, students, leadership and community members in multiple capacities in student services, instruction, instructional technology, and institutional effectiveness and planning.
Supported by Dr. Nery, the colleges at which she worked received state and national recognition in recent years that have increased student outcomes, positively impacted their respective local communities, and closed equity gaps. Under her leadership, many innovative and effective programs were founded, including the College of the Desert’s highly acclaimed EDGE/pIEDGE Program, which is widely recognized as a best practice in making an impact on diversity. Dr. Nery was recently named the 2021 Administrator of the Year by the California Association of Postsecondary Education and Disability and the California Community Colleges named Dr. Nery Chief Student Services Officer of the Year in 2019.
Dr. Nery earned a doctor of philosophy in Sociology/Organization and Statistics from the University of California, Riverside, a bachelor of arts degree and master's degree in Sociology from California State University, Los Angeles and an associate degree from Los Angeles Pierce College. A first generation college student with Spanish as her first language, Dr. Nery is an equity advocate with significant work in social justice. Her guiding principle is to ensure student success is at the center of all decision-making.
