PROFESSOR EMERITA, POLITICAL SCIENCE, GLENDALE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
TRUSTEE EMERITUS, LOS ANGELES COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT
AUTHOR: CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS TODAY, 16th ed. In progress, Pearson Educational Publishing
Mona has had a lifelong career in education, starting as an educator at Evans Adult School in Los Angeles teaching English as a Second Language and then transitioning to teaching sociology and political science at Glendale Community College. She has also taught, lectured and presented at other venues, including UCLA Extension, California State University Sacramento in the Community College Leadership Program, California School Employees Association Leadership Training Program, the Skirball Museum, Black Social Workers of Los Angeles, and numerous other organizations.
Mona was elected four times by the voters of the Los Angeles Community College District to serve as a member of the Governing Board of the nation’s largest community college district. During her time in the community college system, she worked on numerous projects such as promoting green building and sustainable campuses, moving welfare recipients into higher education, and developing a new generation of elementary level teachers. She also helped start one of the first AmeriCorp funded volunteer service learning centers in the country.
Mona has facilitated workshops and panels for a range of organizations including the Faculty Association of the California Community Colleges, the Community College League of California, and the California Studies Center. She has written dozens of articles about education, labor, and public policy for numerous publications, including the Journal of Political Science and Politics, Policy Awareness Quarterly, and many more.
Mona is past President of the Board of the League of Women Voters of Greater Los Angeles. She is also a member of the Board of the Los Angeles Leadership Academy, a public K-12 school with a focus on social justice, and serves on the Board of the Foundation for the Los Angeles Community College District. She actively volunteers in a variety of educational organizations, and is an Executive Consultant to many nonprofit organizations through the Executive Service Corps. Most recently, she was appointed by then City Council President Paul Krekorian to the Los Angeles City Charter Reform Commission.
In the past, Mona served as a Vice President of the California Federation of Teachers, President of the Glendale College Guild (American Federation of Teachers Local 2276), member of the Board of Governors of the Faculty Association of California Community Colleges, member of the Advisory Committee of the Center for California Studies (CSUS) and member of the Benchmarks Task Force of the Southern California Association of Governments.