Sheila Dufresne, Regional Director-Employer Engagement for Retail, Hospitality, Tourism in Orange County since March 2019, is a communication/marketing professional and graduate of Stanford University. She has over 15 years of experience in the California Community College system focused primarily on student success, faculty development and industry engagement initiatives and programs.
Prior to her current regional position, she spent five years as an outreach specialist for the previous Statewide Director of R·H·T at El Camino College working on R·H·T curriculum alignment, workforce development and helped to develop an AS-T transfer degree in Hospitality Management with the CSU system. She has also been involved in a variety of other grant-funded, local and statewide workforce development projects for additional colleges and districts, including the Career Café/Career Briefs and OC Career Pathways projects. Prior to 2014, she nurtured her left and right brain at Mt. San Antonio College while working simultaneously on a multi-disciplinary FCS/R·H·T Statewide Collaborative grant, (the precursor to the CCCCO’s Doing What Matters Initiative), and as Center Coordinator for Cyberwatch West, a multi-institutional NSF Cybersecurity grant.
As an outreach professional, with media relations experience and an interest in emerging technologies, she has worked with additional clients in the private and non-profit sectors to hone their message. A life-long advocate for education, student success and access, she firmly believes effective communication can be a catalyst for change.
Colleges noted in grey on the map do not currently have Retail Hospitality or Tourism programs. Click HERE to see full list of R·H·T programs offered at each school.
