Dr. Elizabeth Riley named Outstanding Academic Manager of the Year
Dr. Elizabeth Riley joined the Cerritos College family on June 13, 2022, and in the
past year has made a significant positive impact on the Health Occupations Division
and the campus at large. Many of her nominees described her as a “breath of fresh
air”, as a leader who came in with enthusiasm, passion, commitment, and a sincere
desire to serve our faculty, staff, and students. The following are excerpts taken
from her nominations:
- How is it possible that one person can change the lives of so many in less than a year of leadership? It is possible because that person is Elizabeth Riley.
- She listens, she offers a warm, kind and sympathetic ear along with suggestions and advice that make you feel heard and that you are a part of the solution and not the problem. She keeps students at the forefront without making any of the staff feel second, she treats us as equally important.
- She has established new connections and collaborations among outside agencies to support departmental efforts in recruiting more students. She actively supports faculty initiatives and serves as a positive advisor in our endeavors. For example, she has supported collaborations between the SLPA program and the SAS department to develop a new avenue of student support for those with communication disorders.
- One of the best things she has done to keep us together and informed on schools activities and our programs activities and accolades is to send out a weekly "Weekend Wishes" email/newsletter that includes the activities on campus for the week, student success events, Falcon's Nest events and a motivational comment, something personal on her end, be it a recipe or sharing an activity she has planned for the weekend. It inspires our department to want to be part of the "Weekend Wishes" and share what our program is up to. We feel connected to our division by this letter.
As manager, Elizabeth is a supporter and team player. She never puts up unnecessary road blocks, but instead generally responds with "lets see how we can make this work." If she does not know an answer, she goes to find it. If someone needs help getting a key task completed, she provides tangible help and support. If there is a frustration, she listens without judgment. If an answer is "no" she delivers the news gracefully. If someone does something well, she celebrates and acknowledges their hard work by sharing with the entire division. Congratulations, Elizabeth, and thank you for a job well done!
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