CLU Dean Ascends in Her Role of Community and National Leader

kidSTREAM, Ventura County Children’s Museum, elected Jessica Lavariega Monforti, Ph.D. as vice president in January 2021. Based in Camarillo, kidSTREAM gives young children and middle school-age students opportunities for hands-on learning in STEM, literacy, and the arts. The museum will open in late 2021 with new outdoor exhibit spaces encompassing 19,000 square feet and seeks to attract visitors from Ventura, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles Counties, and beyond. Dean Lavariega Monforti will play a role in strategic planning and communication as the museum moves to open outdoor exhibits later this year. She joined the Board in June 2018.

“As an educator, community member, and parent, Jessica understands the importance of experiential learning in the intellectual development of children and uncovering their potential. Her energy, drive, and passion for learning inspires her fellow Board members and me to advance kidSTREAM’s mission of providing an engaging environment where children can explore, play, and make discoveries about the arts, sciences, and reading,” said Michael Shankin, inaugural executive director at kidSTREAM.

In addition to receiving this honor, the American Conference of Academic Deans (ACAD) recently named Dean Lavariega Monforti a fellow. In this role, she will gain access to professional development and networking, promote the organization, and participate in its annual conference. As part of this year’s fellow cohort, she will have the opportunity to engage in a major service project in higher education.

Dean Lavariega Monforti received this designation in fall 2020, one of only five awarded across the country, and has been an ACAD member since 2017. Launched in 1945, ACAD is a national, 501(c)3 non-profit committed to advancing the ideas of a liberal arts education by supporting academic administrators across the United States.

“Becoming an ACAD Fellow allows me to continue to connect and collaborate with other higher-education administrators, which benefits the College of Arts and Sciences. The fellowship will provide me with new ideas and practices I can share with colleagues and staff, so we can continue to make the College a hub for innovation and creativity,” said Dean Lavariega Monforti.

This fellowship is the second academic honor Dean Lavariega Monforti received in the past year. In June, the Western Political Science Association (WPSA) elected her as its 74th president, where she leads the Association and its more than 1,250 political scientists and promotes the study and teaching of government and politics to foster research and facilitate discussion of public affairs. Dean Lavariega Monforti received her doctorate in political science from The Ohio State University in 2001.

WPSA hosts its annual meeting this year from April 1-3, and Dean Lavariega Monforti will speak at the event on Populism, Nativism, Democratic Backsliding, and Pandemic Politics. An estimated 1,200 political scientists participate in these meetings which include more than 250 panels and other special sessions on politics.

Prior to joining the College of Arts and Sciences in July 2017, Dean Lavariega Monforti worked at Pace University in New York City as Chair in the Department of Political Science. She has co-authored two books, published more than 50 articles and chapters, and taught at Pace University, The University of Texas-Pan American (now UTRGV), and Mercer University. Her most recent article, “Building Our Communities: Women of Color Workshops in Political Science,” which she co-authored with Melissa R. Michelson, Ph.D., appeared in PS: Political Science in 2020.