Re-elect James Birkey · Trustee Area 3
Taking our College
to New Heights
In the eight years since Trustee Birkey joined the board, Cerritos College has risen to become one of the top-performing community colleges in the nation.
Election Day November 3, 2026
A record of transformation & results
Transformational success you can measure.
Impact we all benefit from.
During James Cody Birkey’s service on the Board, Cerritos College has reached historic milestones in completions, student value, and economic impact in Southeast Los Angeles.
Sources: Cerritos College 2025 commencement, Golden Returns report, and Los Angeles Regional Consortium with Lightcast.
“The work doesn’t stop with transforming Cerritos College into the top college in the region. Our community deserves the best in the nation.
Opportunity at every step
More support.
Fewer barriers.
College should be affordable, navigable, and built to help students finish. Cerritos College is removing barriers both inside and outside the classroom so Bellflower students can turn their ambitions into degrees, transfers, and careers.
Start at Cerritos CollegeFree college for Bellflower students
Through Cerritos Complete, eligible graduating seniors from Bellflower partner schools can receive up to two years of free tuition, along with personalized onboarding, early enrollment, counseling, and academic support.
Explore Cerritos CompleteThe Students First Framework
The College’s roadmap puts students first from access and enrollment through completion, transfer, and a career—with a measurable goal for 50% of students to graduate within five years or less by spring 2029.
See the four-part frameworkZero-cost textbook options
More Open Educational Resources and Zero Textbook Cost courses give students access to high-quality materials without a required textbook bill, while low-cost sections keep materials at $50 or less.
Learn about OER and ZTCThe world as a classroom
Faculty-led study-abroad and cultural-immersion programs let students earn transferable college credit while learning in places such as Taiwan, Costa Rica, and Puerto Rico, with funding guidance available.
Explore study abroadSupport designed around success
Expanded in-person and online tutoring, faculty-led workshops, directed learning activities, counseling, and specialized programs help students get assistance early—before a difficult class becomes a reason to stop out.
Visit the Success CenterGoPass: transit across L.A.
Eligible enrolled students who pay the semester student activities fee can receive unlimited rides and transfers across Metro, Norwalk Transit, Long Beach Transit, and numerous other participating systems.
See GoPass detailsAchievements & ongoing initiatives
A stronger college.
More pathways to opportunity.
Explore the progress underway across student achievement, access, facilities, careers and community life. Open any category to review the full list and its supporting source material.
Access, Achievement & Equity10 initiatives
01
One of America’s leading community colleges
Cerritos College ranked 11th nationally in College Consensus’s 2022 list of the nation’s best community colleges.
College awards and distinctions
02
Bellflower USD-to-Cerritos College pipeline
College Bound Buccaneers increased Bellflower High School participation from approximately 100 students to 267—nearly 2.7 times as many students—by bringing college onboarding directly into senior-year classes.
College Bound Buccaneers
03
Nationally certified for Latino student success
Cerritos College became only the third California community college to earn the Seal of Excelencia. Latino students’ degree and certificate awards increased 179% over the preceding decade.
Seal of Excelencia
04
Recognized for equitable student outcomes
The College has been named an Equity Champion of Higher Education and recognized for advancing Black students’ access to transfer-level English.
College awards and distinctions
05
Nearly 1,500 transfer degrees in one year
Cerritos College increased Associate Degrees for Transfer by 38%, creating guaranteed CSU admission pathways for eligible students.
Record-breaking completions
06
California’s first-of-its-kind student housing
The Village, created with Jovenes, provides permanent supportive housing for Cerritos College students experiencing homelessness.
The Village
07
Approximately 400 affordable student beds on the way
The College secured $80 million for a new affordable housing community, including $68 million in state-supported financing and a $12 million College commitment.
Affordable student housing
08
Basic-needs support that improves graduation
The Falcon’s Nest connects students with food, housing assistance and public benefits. Participants are 2.5 times as likely to graduate within two years and transfer at a rate 27% above the campus average.
Falcon’s Nest and supporting data
09
Cerritos Complete delivers results
The program provides two years of free tuition, priority registration, counseling and structured support. Participants graduate or transfer at nearly twice the rate of other first-time students.
Cerritos Complete results
10
A nationally honored college-promise program
Cerritos Complete received the Examples of Excelencia Award and was selected as a Bellwether Award finalist for innovation in community-college education.
Cerritos Complete recognitionDegrees, Transfer & Student Opportunity5 initiatives
11
Cerritos College’s first bachelor’s degree
The Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene offers an affordable path into a high-demand profession with regional median earnings reported above $108,000.
Bachelor’s degree and Health Science Building
12
A 92% UCLA admission rate through Scholars’ Honors
Cerritos College students regularly transfer to highly selective public and private universities across the country.
College quick facts
13
A nationally recognized NASA STEM pathway
Cerritos College was one of six colleges selected to pilot NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars and has hosted hands-on NASA on Campus events.
NASA program and outcomes
14
More pathways to universities
Expanded CSU, UC and private-university partnerships allow students to complete foundational coursework affordably and follow clearer paths toward bachelor’s degrees.
Transfer Center
15
Career preparation for the skilled trades
Cerritos College offers hands-on pathways in automotive technology, welding, woodworking, ironworking, manufacturing, engineering design, plastics and composites.
Career training programsBuilding a Modern College5 initiatives
16
A completely modernized Health Science Building
The renovated facility provides industry-standard laboratories for dental hygiene, dental assisting, physical therapist assisting, cosmetology and child development, alongside major accessibility, seismic and sustainability improvements.
Health Science Building
17
A new 84,000-square-foot Performing Arts Center
The facility includes a 400-seat theater, 200-seat black box, recital hall, music laboratories, rehearsal rooms and professional production spaces.
Performing Arts Center
18
A new front door for student services
The $95 million Student Services and Administration project will bring admissions, financial aid, counseling, transfer services, career services and other essential resources into a central campus location.
Student Services and Administration Building
19
Expanding early education and support for student-parents
Construction is underway to expand the award-winning Child Development Center, adding infant and toddler facilities, classrooms and outdoor learning spaces.
Child Development Center expansion
20
A permanent Equity Center
The Center houses PRIDE Scholars and UndocuFalcons, providing belonging, practical assistance and educational support to students who have historically faced barriers.
Equity CenterCareers, Community & Culture14 initiatives
21
Career education that increases earnings
Career Technical Education graduates report a 60% increase in hourly wages after training, with 87% employed following graduation.
2024 State of the College
22
More than $2 million for women in construction
State grants expanded apprenticeship opportunities, childcare, mentoring and academic support for women and other underrepresented students entering skilled trades.
Construction apprenticeship initiative
23
Four new specialized welding pathways
Students can now train in combination welding, process-pipe welding, structural-steel fabrication and aerospace welding.
New workforce programs
24
A proposed bachelor’s pathway for ironworkers
Cerritos College is developing a Bachelor of Science in Field Ironworker Supervision to help experienced tradespeople advance into leadership.
Ironworker program plans
25
National recognition for Culinary Arts
Cerritos College’s Culinary Arts program ranked sixth nationally among culinary-arts colleges in 2022.
College awards and distinctions
26
Top-ranked career programs
Pharmacy Technology and Cosmetology each received No. 2 rankings among their respective California programs.
College awards and distinctions
27
Championship athletics
Cerritos College supports 18 intercollegiate teams. Recent highlights include state championships in men’s soccer, women’s tennis, and women’s track and field, with the 2018 and 2025 men’s soccer teams also recognized as national champions.
Falcon championships
28
Host of the 2026 National Junior Olympics
Cerritos College welcomed elite youth athletes, coaches and families as the USA Track & Field Junior Olympics returned to the Los Angeles region for the first time in 19 years.
USA Track & Field Junior Olympics
29
A regional center for arts and culture
Cerritos College presents theater, music, visual art and Latino cultural programming that reflects the communities of Southeast Los Angeles.
College events
30
Stories that reflect our community
Productions such as I Am Frida Kahlo and Tío Juan have brought culturally resonant theater to the new Performing Arts Center.
Theatre Arts
31
Nationally honored student media
Student-operated WPMD was twice named the nation’s best two-year college radio station by the College Media Association and earned additional national recognition.
WPMD national recognition
32
A $3 million investment in Latino student success
A five-year federal Hispanic-Serving Institution grant is strengthening mentoring, access, institutional data and equitable student outcomes.
HSI grant
33
More college access throughout the district
Cerritos College restored course offerings in La Mirada and strengthened high-school partnerships, dual enrollment and early-college pathways throughout the region.
La Mirada and educational partnerships
34
An exceptional return on education
College data indicates that an associate degree increases average annual earnings by approximately $11,000, while transfer and completion of a bachelor’s degree adds approximately $30,000.
Economic results
Professional · parent · Bellflower neighbor
Serious about the work.
Never too serious for the people.
Birkey is a Harvard-educated strategist who has spent his career helping public institutions turn ambitious ideas into durable results.
As a Cerritos College trustee, he brings financial and strategic rigor to the boardroom and an open door to the community. He believes leadership means listening carefully, asking the hard questions, sharing credit freely, and showing up joyfully—whether it’s a long-range planning session or a laugh together at Streetfest.
Though Trustee Birkey has lived and worked on five continents, he has deep family roots in Bellflower and the region. He married Chrissy Padilla Birkey at the Town Center Plaza in Downtown Bellflower—the first and only wedding there so far—and they have two children who attend Bellflower Unified School District’s Dual Immersion program. They speak English and Spanish at home, love playing soccer locally, and have a passion for “culinary science” and “fort building.”
For Trustee Birkey, the test is simple: does the decision create more opportunity for our students and more prosperity for the communities Cerritos College serves?
Start a conversationLeadership in action
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