Born in Antigua, Guatemala and growing up during Guatemala’s civil war,Dean Bell immigrated to U.S. in 1978 and went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Education from USF. Dean Bell has dedicated his entire career to education, starting with his twelve years as an academic counselor at CCSF. Among the positions held by Dean Bell are: Dean of Financial Aid, Interim Vice-Chancellor of Campuses and Enrollment Management and, most recently, named Dean of the Mission Campus. Dean Bell was one of the Keepers of the Dream working tirelessly for the establishment of the permanent home for the Mission Campus of CCSF.

Cynthia has worked and lived in Latin America since the early 1980’s, spending over 20 years in Mexico.  She has served on the Board of Trustees of the American School Foundation in Mexico City, as well as on various committees, and on the advisory committee of Entrega, a non-profit entity that provided supplemental educational opportunities for children in low income neighborhoods of Mexico City.  She has worked in finance during her entire career, as a banker and as a finance executive in a variety of markets and institutions, and looks forward to bringing her experience to this Board.  She also serves on the fundraising arm of the Pomeroy Recreation and Rehabilitation Center and on the advisory committee of Locaphonic, an institution whose goal is to promote local musicians and local culinary talent.

Dr. Carlota del Portillo has been a teacher, a counselor and a college dean. She received her doctoral degree from the University of San Francisco. Dr. del Portillo led the Mission Community’s effort to establish a permanent home for the Mission Campus of City College in San Francisco – to provide equitable access to post-secondary education. She retired as Dean of the Mission Campus, where she supervised the instructional program for 8,000 students, 133 faculty and 28 classified employees for several decades.

Dr. del Portillo’s service to San Francisco included serving on the Human Rights Commission, the Fire Commission, and the Library Commission. She also served for 11 years on the Civil Service Commission, where she cast the deciding vote to integrate the Fire Department and later had the pleasure of welcoming the first female Fire Chief, Joanne Hayes-White. Dr. del Portillo was the first Latina to win citywide election, without first being appointed to the position, when she won her seat on the San Francisco Unified School Board in 1990.

As Dean of the Mission Campus, Dr. del Portillo opened the doors of opportunity and educational equity to thousands of San Franciscans. In 2006, in recognition of her lifelong commitment to furthering the cause of social justice, the California Rural Legal Assistance honored her with the prestigious Jesse de la Cruz community Activist and Service Award. Dr. del Portillo’s many special awards include: The Riley Center Leadership Award, Leadership in Domestic Prevention; the Edward J. Griffin Award, School of Education, University of San Francisco; “Our Community Finest” Award for Outstanding Leadership, Latino Democratic Club; President’s Medallion, University of San Francisco; Centro Legal de la Raza Award in recognition rendered in the Latino Community

Dr. del Portillo has served on numerous boards and for over four decades has served on the Mission Hiring Board of Directors. In 2010 she founded the Friends of the Mission Campus to make college a reality now for Mission Neighborhood youth.

Erick Tenorio has a BA in progress, is the manager of the Noe Valley Store for Umpqua Bank in San Francisco, and has ten years of banking experience. His primary responsibility is focusing on business development, small business sales/lending, and local community advocacy through volunteerism and organizational support.

He is passionate about contributing to the Mission Community, where he was raised. He has participated in several programs geared towards youth education and volunteers at the Mission Science Workshop. Both having attended local schools and as a parent of students who attend the SFUSD, he understands the vital roles that community programs play in the development of our youth.

His banking experience, knowledge of the Mission community and familiarity with the educational programs available to our youth will serve him well as he contributes to theWork of the Board of the Friends of the Mission Campus.

Elena Asturias has been involved with creating community since she established the international club at her high school to help foster understanding among diverse groups in San Francisco.

Graduating from Georgetown Law Center with a Master of Law in Business and Taxation she served as counsel to Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi, and successors. Most recently, Elena has dedicated herself to managing family concerns including Paniagua Construction Inc. and Las Maravillas S.A. as well as serving as counsel to various private concerns.

Elena currently represents San Francisco residents as Community Representative of the San Francisco Zoological Society Board as well as serving as President of the family foundation Fundación Asturias Maldonado, she serves on the Tardeada Committee for the California Rural Legal Assistance and on the Boards of CARECEN and Friends of the Mission Campus.

Elena previously served on the Boards of La Raza Centro Legal, Development Fund Board for La Raza Centro Legal, Hispanic National Bar Association, as well as its Commission on the Status of Latinas in the Legal Profession, San Francisco La Raza Lawyers Association and the San Francisco Senators.