Ornelas Named Interim President of LA Mission College

Dr. Armida Ornelas will serve as Interim President at LA Mission College, beginning July 1.  

Ornelas will serve in this capacity through June 30, 2022, replacing Dr. Monte Perez, who has announced his retirement at the end of this semester, after 10 years as President. 

Ornelas currently works at East Los Angeles College as Vice President of Instruction at East Los Angeles College, with responsibilities for the college’s Career Technical Education and Adult Education programs.  She is also responsible for the oversight and expansion of ELAC’s South Gate Educational Center, which recently received official Educational Center status.

Ornelas is a 24-year employee of the Los Angeles Community College District, is a tenured faculty member in political science, and served as the Chief Negotiator for the Los Angeles College Faculty Guild.

Raised in East Los Angeles, Ornelas is a daughter of Mexican immigrants and a graduate from Garfield High School. She graduated from UCLA with a double major in Chicana/o Studies and Sociology, and later earning a Master’s degree in Public Policy Studies from the University of Chicago. 

Her doctoral degree from the UCLA School of Education focused on transfer equity and access to higher education for Latino and African American students.