​(Santa Ana, CA) - Rancho Santiago Community College District (RSCCD) is pleased to announce Leila Mozaffari as its new Executive Director of the District’s Institute for Workforce Development. Mozaffari will be responsible for connecting business and industry leaders to Santa Ana College and Santiago Canyon College programs and resources to help upskill industry's current workforce and build their future workforce. Additionally she and her team assist business and industry to identify skills gaps within their existing employees, create a customized training plan, access outstanding industry trainers and tap into available grant funds that offset the cost of training for qualifying companies - all designed to help industry realize immediate and lasting benefits from enhancing employees’ skills.

Since July 2017, Mozaffari has served as the Institute of Workforce Development’s Interim Executive Director. For the 11 years prior, she was the Director of RSCCD’s Orange County Small Business Development Center (SBDC) where she focused her efforts in bringing increased resources and services to Orange County’s vibrant community assisting more than 3,000 small business owners and entrepreneurs annually. Under her leadership, the Orange County SBDC was recognized by US Small Business Administration as a Center of Excellence. Additionally, she and her team has been instrumental in expanding the International Trade, and Corporate and Government Procurement assistance and matchmaking programs of Orange County SBDC which is credited with helping woman-owned, minority-owned and small businesses receive over $51M of contracts annually.

She has previously received Business Woman of the Year from the National Hispanic Business Women Association, Women Making a Difference award from Senator Lou Correa, Michael R. Jones Business Impact Award from the Black Chamber of Commerce of Orange County, JubilAsian award for community involvement as a role model from the Asian Business Association and Community Advocate award from the Philipino-American Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, she serves on the board of directors for the California Association of Micro Enterprise Opportunity.

Mozaffari holds a bachelor of science and master of science degrees in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from Syracuse University.

About Rancho Santiago Community College District
Santa Ana College and Santiago Canyon College are public community colleges of the Rancho Santiago Community College District, which serves the residents of Anaheim Hills, Orange, Santa Ana, Villa Park, and portions of Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Irvine, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, and Tustin.. Both colleges provide education for academic transfer and careers, courses for personal and professional development, and customized training for business and industry.

###