Brandi Avila is the Dean of Student Development and Wellness at Moreno Valley College. This position helps ensure the health and wellness of MVC's student population. Brandi facilitates access to basic needs, the Disability Support Services Program, the Early Childhood Education Center, GAIN/CalWORKs program, Student Health Services, student life, mental health, and ensures students are able to have their concerns addressed through the student conduct and grievance process. She also provides leadership for the annual commencement ceremony and the College Corps Program. Finally, she serves as the Chair of the Behavior Intervention and Resource Team (BIRT)/ Student Assistance Facilitation and Evaluation Team (SAFE). Brandi believes that education is a practice of freedom and that it should be accessible to all.
Brandi’s commitment to social justice and equity for the most vulnerable folks in our society is unwavering and is at the center of all she does. LMU's focus on social justice provided a sense of comfort in knowing that she would occupy a safe, supportive, and stimulating learning environment that would enrich her educational and professional endeavors.
Brandi’s dissertation, “We Do the Work. You Check the Box: Unearthing the Impact of Racialized Stress and Trauma on Black Women Community College Educators Leading DEI Work,” chaired by Karen Huchting, Ph.D., examined the relationship between racialized stress and trauma and the impact on holistic wellbeing of minoritized folx working in higher education, specifically Black women DEI leaders in California Community Colleges. She is also interested in assessing the role of racialized stress and trauma on learning for BIPOC community college students.
The Ed.D. program at LMU allowed Brandi to critically self-reflect on her leadership style and supported her in fine-tuning her skills in real-time. In addition, the faculty authentically invested in her success and well-being while in the program, and her personal and professional network has flourished as a result.
While enrolled in the Ed.D. Program, Brandi participated in the prestigious UCEA Jackson Scholars Program and was also the recipient of LMU’s 2024 Arrupe Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award.