Carlos O. Turner Cortez

Carlos O. Turner Cortez, Ph.D., presently serves as the president of San Diego Continuing Education (SDCE), one of the four divisions of the San Diego Community College District, the seventh largest system in the United States. In this capacity, he oversees more than 40,000 students annually at seven campuses and over 200 off-site locations. Turner Cortez is also as adjunct faculty at John Hopkins University, New York University, and the University of California, Berkeley. His research interests center on the role of educators and administrators of color in the historical development of American social welfare and education policy. He is also an expert in the area of promoting equity and access in urban education through literacy and policy initiatives.

Dr. Turner Cortez has taught consistently for the past 23 years. He has served as an administrator for 16 years and as the CEO for 11 years. Prior to SDCE, Turner Cortez most recently worked as the acting vice president of instruction at Berkeley City College (BCC). Before BCC, he served as director of Education Extension at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). He began his career in education as Teach for America Corps member. His experience spans the public, private, and charter school sectors in Washington DC, Houston, New York City, Los Angeles, Berkeley, and San Diego. Turner Cortez served as principal of New Village Charter School in Los Angeles and as assistant principal of special education services at Grape Street Elementary School. In these positions, he was known for his dedication to teachers and students, the development of innovative programs and services, astute fundraising, and sound fiscal management.

Throughout his career, Turner Cortez has elected to work primarily with underserved, ethnically diverse student populations from low income communities and has been a staunch advocate for policy and finance reform as a member of various state and federal level legislative task forces, including his current service on the California League of Community College’s Advisory Committee on Legislation and the Noncredit Coalition. His commitment to social justice drives his passion for urban education reform. Turner Cortez also sits on several regional and national non-profit boards, including the Trevor Project, the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE), the San Diego Workforce Partnership’s Workforce Development Board, the Jackie Robinson YMCA, and Goodwill San Diego.

In 2017, Turner Cortez was awarded the Martes Award for Excellence in Research by the Association of California Community College Administrators and was recognized as San Diego Male Leader of the Year by California State Assembly Member Shirley Weber. In 2018, he received the Excellence in Continuing Education Award from the Association of Community and Continuing Education (ACCE); the 2018 Innovation of the Year Award by League for Innovation in Community Colleges; and The RP Group Research and Planning Project Award. In 2019, he was awarded the Teach for Innovation McGrory Award for Innovative Alumni Leadership and his organization was awarded the 2019 NACCE Heather Van Sickle Entrepreneurial College of the Year Award. In 2020, Turner Cortez was awarded the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) Lighthouse Awards as a Turnaround School Leader. Our Turnaround School Leader and was named a 2020 Top 100 Leaders in Education by the Global Forum for Education and Learning.

Dr. Turner Cortez’s educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in History and Sociology from Georgetown University; a master’s degree in Race and Gender Politics from New York University; and a doctor of philosophy in Education Policy and Administration from the University of Southern California. All three degrees focused on African American feminist political history.