California Secretary of State, Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D. to Deliver Opening Keynote Address

CCBA is thrilled to announce California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D., will deliver the opening keynote address during the 2026 CCBA National Conference in Long Beach, CA. 

Secretary Weber is a strong supporter of community colleges. She served on the California Assembly Committee on Higher Education which unanimously voted for the community college baccalaureate pilot program in 2014 and she has been supportive ever since. 

Secretary Weber was nominated to serve as California Secretary of State by Governor Gavin Newsom and was elected for a full term on November 8, 2022. She is California’s first Black Secretary of State and only the fifth African American to serve as a state constitutional officer in California’s 175-year history. 

Secretary Weber taught at California State University at Los Angeles, Los Angeles City College and San Diego State University, where she retired from the Department of Africana Studies after 40 years. Additionally, before her appointment, she served four terms as an Assembly Member representing California’s 79th District. 

Secretary Weber’s genuine passion and tireless quest for equality and fairness in all sectors of life have resulted in her pursuit of reforms in education and criminal justice. Her equity-oriented legislation includes focuses on school finance and accountability, classroom safety, ethnic studies, early learners, attendance and dropout rates and quality instruction, among others. 

We look forward to her insight and outlook on the challenges and future of higher education.