Dr. Irene Pinkard recently retired as Associate Vice Chancellor of Human Resources in the Ventura County Community College District.  She was also in the Los Angeles Unified School District for six years and the Los Angeles Community College District for approximately 20 years before moving to Ventura County.  During her tenure in the Los Angeles Community College District, she served as Executive Assistant to the Chancellor, Dean, Assistant Dean, Career Center Director, coordinator, counselor, and instructor before taking a position at Oxnard College in 1992.

Dr. Pinkard graduated from California State University, Long Beach, with a Bachelor's Degree in Business and a Master's in Counseling.  She received her Doctorate degree from Nova University, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, in Educational Psychology.
  
Dr. Pinkard has been in Ventura County for 18 years and is very active in her community.  She gained a seat on the Oxnard Union High School District Board of Trustees in 1998 and was re-elected to a second term in 2002.  Dr. Pinkard co-founded the Ventura County Chapter of BAPAC (Black American Political Association of California) with her husband, Bedford, and has served as Chairperson of the chapter. She also served on the City Impact Board of Directors, a non-profit organization that provides programs and counseling for at risk youth and families and is a member of the 20th Century Onyx Club, Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, and NAACP.  She has served as president of the 20th Century Onyx Club, Zonta International of Long Beach, Personnel and Guidance Association -  Black Caucus and Ventura County Drug and Alcohol Abuse Board; and the Ventura County Drug and Abuse Advisory Board.  Dr. Pinkard is a member of the California Black School Board Members Association and is a Board of Director of the National Caucus of Black School Board Members serving as the Pacific Region Vice President.
 

 

Dr. Pinkard has been a keynote speaker for numerous local organizations and throughout the Western United States.  She is one of four founders of the Black Women's Leadership Conference (BWLC) that presents annual conferences for women on how to enhance their leadership skills for workplace advancement.  She was voted the Ventura College Outstanding Administrator in 1998 and 1999, received a "Community Hero Award" by the the Ventura County Diversity
Committee, and was named "Woman of the Year" by Assemblyman Tony Strickland.  Dr. Pinkard is an active member of Bethel A.M.E. Church where she is an usher, Sunday school teacher, a part of the new members training staff and Chairperson of the Richard Allen Young Adult Council.

 

She and her husband, Councilman Bedford Pinkard, have conducted Black College Tours for the past 14 years for young people throughout Ventura County.  The trips are conducted during spring break, and any interested youngsters from seventh grade to college are encouraged to travel with them for a week to historically black colleges and universities.  Dr. Pinkard opines that this affords young people an opportunity to consider options as to colleges they could attend other than California and/or traditional colleges.

"Many young people are not
afforded the opportunities available to them at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU)" says Dr. Pinkard.  She says that students who attend historically black colleges are nurtured and the institution takes them from where they are to a level of proficiency that ensures their success.

Dr. Pinkard is also a real estate associate for Fiesta Properties in Oxnard, as well as a talk show co-host for "What's Going On" cable television show.

When asked how she can keep up the pace, she comments, "How can I not?  I feel more energized and satisfied when I am busy and realize how I have helped to change or make someone's life better by doing the things I do.  I have been so blessed and just want to be able to give something back."

Dr. Pinkard is married to Oxnard Councilman, Bedford Pinkard, and has two sons, Derek and Kevin.