Phone Number:

916-234-0490

4CS Board Bios

Dina Pielaet

Dina Pielaet

For the past 13 years I have served as a marketing professional with the District and colleges, as well as a classified and union representative. For the past 3 years I have served as the Marketing, communications, web design and multimedia coordinator. Truth be told, I do it all, from concept through production completion, tracking of outcomes and analyzing results.

For the past 35 years I have been a business owner and employer, a publisher and creative director of Ventura Life Magazine, an entrepreneur and an activist for the social greater good. As a side note, I am also a certified end-of-life caregiver. My Media company won the Poinsettia Small Business of the year award and I was the recent, proud recipient of the Mayor’s Arts Award for Creative Entrepreneur.

I ran for a trustee in 2018 to ensure that classified were represented on our VCCCD board. I did not win. But I DID change the conversation. I currently serve on many district wide and Moorpark College campus committees. You can read more about me at my trustee website: dinapie.org

I am dedicated to the FUTURE of all those I serve.

GOALS

My goals are simple, programs through policy and strategies that provide QUALITY OF LIFE for students and staff. Quality of life through higher education means our entire community thrives.

I want our students of all ages and our staff to THRIVE. I want to be an agent for change. I strive toward this goal everyday with my family of higher education colleagues.

My hope is to represent classified professionals in shared governance and the quality of life at our college and our college District. I want to be a part of the creative collective that engages, is inclusive, and equitable and to help better support an environment for classified professionals, students, and faculty. Part of my current role is to promote professional learning and inspiring leadership within our diverse community. I do this through the creative process, critical thinking, serving on numerous committees, and storytelling through in reach and outreach channels.

MY KEY OBJECTIVES:

Communication and representation through shared governance. I currently serve on many campus and district wide committees such as the DCEM (District Committee on Enrollment management), the IPC (Integrated Planning Committee), The Vision, Values and Mission committee, our multicultural committee, Student Experience committee, and our IDEAA committee.

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, accessibility and a clear message of anti-racism.

Leadership with kindness and compassion

Scholarship opportunities: Promoting employee and student Scholarship opportunities (I myself raise money for 2 brothers who have died, both of whom are MC Alumni)

Professionalism at all levels

Collegiality; a constant goal that helps to shine the light of awareness of the importance of our role as first responders to our students and administrators needs and goals. Let’s face it, There is a struggle of inclusivity when it comes to our faculty and administrative workforce in including and recognizing classified staff as equals.

Ultimately, I believe the MOST important thing we can do to achieve TRUE success as a collective is to ensure that we are providing the essential tools needed for a student of any age to get a degree, acquire workplace skills, and become productive citizens by getting hired and making decent pay. As the college and campus first responders, clearly classified staff is at the forefront of those goals. Through shared governance, we can be a part of the overall conversation and outcome that changes lives.

MY PERMA:

Positivity: Create a positive environment that includes satisfaction, pride and awe, among students and staff.

Engagement: Involvement in activities that draws and builds upon one’s interests is a practice that can lead to a sense of fulfillment and clarity. Keeping students and staff engaged in the things they are passionate about leads to creative and collective outcomes. It is the essence of critical thinking. Professional development and positive workplace activities are just 2 of the many ways to engage staff and lead them to better outcomes and a true sense of self.

Relationships: In an educational institution and in any workplace, ALL people matter. EVERY voice matters. It is the essence of collegiality. Receiving, sharing, and spreading positivity to others through meaningful relationships is strengthened by communicating to one another positively. It is typical that most positive things take place in the presence of other people. This makes collegiality the essence of student success and staff well-being.

Meaning: Also known as purpose, this prompts the question of “why”. Discovering and formulating a clear “why” puts everything into context, from work relationships to life goals. Finding meaning is learning that there is something greater than one’s self. Despite potential challenges, working with meaning drives people to continue to strive for desirable goals. Students want their education to have meaning. Staff want their work-life to have meaning. We must always start with the WHY in our decision making process and ask ourselves “does this decision give our students and staff meaning. Is this what is best for their well-being?”

Accomplishment: In the pursuit of success and mastery, accomplishments can activate pride and positive emotion. These accomplishments can be individual or community-based, and are positive results when enacting PERMA. It is the finale, or the start of something new; graduation, promotion, sustainability, inclusivity, partnership, a thriving community! It is the essence of my “why”