Las Positas To Celebrate Graduates In Commencement Ceremony

From LPC: Las Positas College (LPC) will celebrate graduates when 1,282 students will see their hard work pay off when they receive degrees or certificates later this month.

Approximately 300 graduates are expected to participate in the college's annual graduation ceremony where former Assemblywoman Catharine Baker will provide the keynote address. Baker served California's 16th District from 2014 to 2018. Although affiliated with the Republican Party, Baker developed a reputation as an independent, bipartisan voice in the legislature, fostering collaboration that led to breakthroughs on the environment, transportation and government accountability. She was the vice-chair of the Higher Education Committee for four years and authored legislation to put California residents above out-of-state students in University of California (UC) admissions, capping out-of-state student enrollment at UC schools and bring financial transparency and accountability to UC's Office of the President. Baker additionally authored groundbreaking legislation to establish and fund Veteran Resource Centers at California community colleges and a bill to support veterans as they transition from active duty into higher education.

Prior to serving as an elected official, Baker was special counsel at Hoge Fenton Jones and Appel law firm in Pleasanton, advising small businesses and local non-profits on how to get started and succeed. She was also a California leader in her community, serving on local school improvement committees, a local preschool board and volunteering with Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts as an archery instructor. She is currently a member of the board of California Women Lead, an organization helping women seek appointed and elected office; board advisor to the Tri-Valley Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs (APAPA) organization and a board member for the Diablo Regional Arts Association.

Baker has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Chicago and Juris Doctorate from the University of California Berkeley School of Law.

Additionally, Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority (LAVTA) Executive Director Michael Tree will be named the 2019 Friend of the College.

Tree was instrumental in helping LPC initiate the Student Mobility Initiative, which piloted a public transportation operation that directly connected LPC with the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) in Dublin/Pleasanton and the Livermore Transit Center that links to the Altamont Corridor Express (ACE) train. The effort resulted in a student transportation fee to solidify the partnership between LPC and LAVTA yielding approximately 800 individual rides each day and approximately 60,000 individual rides each academic semester.

Tree has more than 20 years experience in senior positions within the public sector, including stints as the Missoula Urban Transportation District general manager in Montana, city manager for the city of Twentynine Palms in California and general manager for Sierra Management, which operates the public transit system in Porterville, California. He has a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Brigham Young University and Master of Science in transportation management from San Jose State University

The 29th Annual Commencement Ceremony is scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 25 at 10 a.m. at LPC's Physical Education Complex, Building 2500, 3000 Campus Hill Drive in Livermore.