Michele Siqueiros

Michele Siqueiros is a Senior Executive Advisor to the Campaign for College Opportunity. In this role, Siqueiros provides insight and guidance on executive leadership, nonprofit management, and policy strategy to the President, Executive Team and Board of Directors. 

On June 30, 2024, Michele stepped down from her role as President of the Campaign for College Opportunity and will continue to lend her expertise to the Boards she serves on, civic endeavors to strengthen Los Angeles and as a Partner of Secoya Affect, an all-women based consulting practice supporting the nonprofit, philanthropic, higher education and private sector in advancing a more fair, equitable and just society.

Michele served for over 20 years at the Campaign for College Opportunity (President from 2008-2024), where she built a strong, independent, and influential organization that helped transform and strengthen higher education in California. She raised over $35 million dollars, curated a team of experts and leaders in the field, championed major budget appropriations, secured historic higher education legislation, oversaw the production of 92 groundbreaking reports (serving as an author or co-author on 32 reports), and established a broad and influential network of over 12,000 coalition supporters. Michele’s leadership resulted in victories benefitting thousands of students including: a new, clearer pathway for students who transfer from community colleges to the state’s four year universities; a public community college scorecard that provides students and their families with key performance metrics disaggregated by race/ethnicity and gender; a package of legislation that mandates student success courses and orientation at the state’s community colleges and eliminated the overreliance on placement exams granting students access to college level courses; greater investment in state financial aid programs including the expansion of state aid for undocumented students; and, millions more in state funding for the state’s colleges and universities to expand the number of available seats for students and to improve student graduation rates.

Michele is successful because of the innovative way she brings together unlikely allies –businesses, civil rights organizations, faith-based institutions, and students – to create powerful alliances that drive change. She is an expert strategist who knows how to motivate and effectively engage policymakers, the media, and community partners. Her professional success, vast experience, integrity and relationships has made Michele a sought after expert who’s been recruited to serve on some of the most influential Board of Directors in the state of California including the Boards of the California Endowment, the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles, Planned Parenthood Action Project, Community Coalition and the Pitzer College Board of Trustees.  

In February 2024 Michele was recognized with the prestigious James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award. In 2023, she was recognized by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund with an Excellence in Community Service Award, was named Woman of the Year by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in 2019, and given the Distinguished Alumni Award by Pitzer College in 2018. 

Michele is a member of the Trusteeship (the Southern California arm of the International Women’s Forum) and the LA Civic Alliance. In 2022, Michele co-chaired the Latinos for Bass mayoral campaign. In 2020, Governor Newsom asked her to serve on the California Higher Education Recovery with Equity Taskforce. In 2019, she was appointed by Senate Pro Tem Leader Toni Atkins to the Student-Centered Funding Formula Oversight Committee. She previously served on the California Student Aid Commission as a gubernatorial appointee and on the Los Angeles Commission for Neighborhood Empowerment as a Mayor Villaraigosa appointee.  

Michele has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Studies with Honors in Chicano/a Studies from Pitzer College and a Master of Arts in Urban Planning from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She was a part of the Aspen Institute Presidential Community College Fellowship Class of 2018. 

Michele believes in working toward a more just and equitable nation where every person – regardless of their zip code, race/ethnicity, or income – can reach their full potential.

Michele has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Studies with Honors in Chicano/a Studies from Pitzer College and a Master of Arts in Urban Planning from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Alma Mater(s):

Pitzer College, University of California at Los Angeles

Your role in one sentence:

To influence California policy makers and college leaders so that more students can go to college and graduate and to be a voice and advocate for students as I champion efforts to eliminate racial inequities in higher education so that we can keep California’s economy strong.

When I am not at work helping students get to and succeed in college I am…

I am cheering for my son at a soccer game and in awe by the passion and smarts of my daughter.

If not higher education then what cause?

I would support undocumented students so more of them could realize their college dreams and I would fight for women’s equality.

The James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award

March 2024  |  The James Irvine Foundation

Excellence in Community Service Award

November 2023  |  Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund

Women in California Politics Award

April 2022  |  Women in California Politics

Woman of the Year

March 2019  |  LA County Board Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas

Distinguished Alumni Award

February 2018  |  Pitzer College

2017 Tomas Rivera Policy Lecture

March 2017  |  American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education

Woman of the Year

May 2015  |  Mexican American Opportunity Foundation

2014 HOPE Treasure

December 2014  |  Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE)

Hispanic Leader in Education

November 2014  |  La Opinion Newspapers