SDCCD : City College Assistant Professor Tapped To Lead Equal Employment Opportunity Initiatives

Press release from San Diego Community College District:

September 7, 2021

Abdimalik Buul, Ed.D., an innovative scholar who has earned praise for his use of
social justice and activism as his guiding pedagogy for change, has been selected
by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office to serve as visiting executive
of educational excellence and equal employment opportunity programs.

Buul’s responsibilities include working to provide EEO professional development activities
for the California Community Colleges, review and provide input on community college
district EEO plans, co-lead the statewide EEO & Diversity Advisory Committee and serve
on the statewide Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Working Group.

 “The California Community Colleges is excited to have an advocate as talented and
committed as Dr. Buul to lead its EEO initiatives, which are critical to fully realizing
the goals set forth in the Vision for Success. His expertise will help our system
connect EEO to the classroom and successfully redefine educational excellence for
the largest system public higher education,” said Acting Chancellor Daisy Gonzales,
Ph.D.

An assistant professor and transfer center director at San Diego City College,  Buul
was the first Somali hired as a tenure track faculty member at Southwestern College
in Chula Vista, where he served as Umoja program coordinator, faculty chair of the
Black Alliance and as an academic senator for the School of Counseling and Student
Support. His resume also includes serving as a counselor/professor at Cuyamaca College
in El Cajon, an adjunct counselor/professor at San Diego Mesa College and a program
specialist with the San Diego Workforce Partnership.

Dr. Buul came to the United States at the age of 5 as a Somali refugee and grew up
in City Heights and southeastern San Diego, where he became involved and helped lead
myriad social justice programs. He earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology and his
master’s degree in education, with an emphasis in community-based counseling and social
justice at San Diego State University, where he has taught restorative practices and
conflict transformation. He earned his doctor of education in educational psychology
from the University of Southern California.

This press release was produced by San Diego Community College District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.