"The MHCC board has focused on addressing racism, equity and poverty in our district,” said Noriega. “That approach is what I want to bring to the ACCT board.”

ACCT is a nonprofit educational organization, representing more than 6,500 elected and appointed trustees who govern over 1,200 community, technical and junior colleges in the U.S. and beyond, educating more than 11 million students annually.

Noriega brings extensive experience and a focus on English Language Learners to her leadership positions both locally on the MHCC Board of Education, and nationally through this role. She is a representative of the Pacific Region and a voice for West Coast community colleges and students.

“Having Director Noriega on this national governing board ensures a voice for access and equity,” said MHCC President Lisa Skari. “As ACCT advocates for federal policy and funding in support of better outcomes for all students, her leadership on these issues will benefit students not only for Oregon, but for community college students across the country.”

Noriega was elected to the MHCC District Board of Education in 2019 to a four-year term as an at-large member. This is her second time serving on the MHCC board. She represents the college at the state level with the Oregon Community College Association.

She holds a doctorate in education from the University of California Santa Barbara. Her career in higher education includes both leadership and teaching positions at the community college and university level. She retired from higher ed administration in 2007 and returned to the faculty to teach educators methods for teaching English language learners.

In addition to serving on the MHCC Board of Education from 2011–2015, she served as a member of the MHCC Foundation Board from 2015–2019, and has been active in Rotary International, serving as the Rotary District 5100 Governor from 2019–2020. Noriega can be reached at Diane.Noriega@mhcc.edu.