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The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint
• Thursday, May 26, 2022
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BUSINESS NEWS
New President on Advertising with CBC PUSHES BIDEN ADMIN
Named at San Diego Mesa College Voice & Viewpoint Newswire
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Since 2016, Dr. Hands has served as vice president of Student Services at Mesa College. She joined the college in 2008 where she has held positions as dean of Student Affairs, acting dean of Student Development and Matriculation, and acting vice president of Student Services.
“Dr. Hands is exactly the type of dynamic leader needed to take Mesa College to the next level of community engagement and success,” said San Diego Community College District (SDCCD) Chancellor Carlos O. Cortez. “With her familiarity with the district and college, she will be able to help Mesa accomplish its student-focused, equityminded mission.”
“The federal government spends billions of dollars a year in paid advertising. However, the federal government’s process for allocating advertising dollars fails to recognize and value the unique relationship that Black-owned media have with their audiences,” Georgia Democratic Rep. Hank Johnson wrote in a letter to President Joe Biden. Dr. Ashanti Hands will assume the presidency of San Diego Mesa College on July 1. Photo: SD Mesa College
we will show up for our students, each other, our district and community.”
Dr. Hands earned a doctorate of education in educational leadership from San Diego State University. She also has a master of arts in education with an emphasis in multicultural counseling from SDSU and a bachelor of arts in sociology from the University of California, San Diego.
Dr. Hands assumes leadership of a college that serves 30,000 students per year, making it one of the largest community colleges in California. The college offers nearly 200 associate degree and certificate programs and is one of 15 California community colleges offering a four-year baccalaureate degree. A fully accredited, comprehensive community college, Mesa College ranks as SanDiego’s top transfer institution, and a Military Friendly School, serving more than 3,500 veterans and their families.
“I am humbled to be selected for the presidency of the very college I have called home for more than 14 years,” Dr. Hands said. “The ability to live my purpose of creating conditions that matter for students to succeed at a college so deeply committed to equity and excellence brings me immense joy. I am excited to continue the great work we have started at Mesa College and look forward to the bold, courageous, equity-minded ways
Dr. Hands’ selection follows a national search for a successor to Mesa College President Pam Luster, who is retiring June 30. Dr. Hands’ contract is scheduled to be ratified at the June 9 SDCCD Board of Trustees meeting. She will begin her new role on July 1, 2022. Dr. Hands is married to her Inglewood High School classmate, Ronnie Hands, and resides in Chula Vista, Calif. She is the proud mother of two young adult children.
“As the nation’s largest advertiser, the federal government has an obligation to provide advertising opportunities to news outlets and media companies owned or published by people of color.”
By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Four years after D.C. Democratic Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton publicly condemned federal agencies after a Government Accountability Office report revealed they spend very little of their advertising dollars with Blackowned media, another member of the Congressional Black Caucus has openly aired the concerns.
shanti Hands, Ed.D., an equity-focused leader with a deep commitment to diversity, access and student success, has been named president of San Diego Mesa College, San Diego’s largest community college.
As a member of Mesa College’s executive management team, Dr. Hands has provided leadership for the college-wide initiative to become the leading college of equity and excellence. The college is widely recognized for its adoption of data-informed decisionmaking to ensure equitable outcomes. Prior to joining Mesa College, she served as dean of Student Affairs at the University of California, San Diego.
BLACK MEDIA
Co-signed by Norton, Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Val Demings (D-Fla.), and 34 other members of Congress, the letter pointed out that the standard process for spending federal advertising dollars consists of giving a prime contract to a large White-owned advertising agency with the stipulation that the agency includes a multicultural agency as a subcontractor. “However, the prime contractor controls how much money goes to the subcontractor and how that subcontractor spends that money,” Johnson wrote. “This routinely results in a smaller fraction of federal dollars going to the subcontractors. And, when the subcontractor does get to spend money, it is usually directed to spend that money with Black-targeted media and
Photo: Courtesy of NNPA
not with Black-owned media.” He asserted that “successful Black businesses hire and promote Black Americans at a much higher rate than other businesses. They are, consequently, the key to building successful Black communities.” In 2018, Norton commissioned a GAO report that revealed that the federal government spent more than $5 billion on advertising over five years. Still, Black-owned businesses received only $51 million, or 1.02 percent of those funds. “I will work with minority publishers to press [my colleagues] in Congress to demand greater spending on minority-owned outlets to reach minority audiences that most traditional outlets do not,” Norton stated during a 2018 news conference with members of the National Newspaper Publishers Association on Capitol Hill. “The GAO report showed, as we expected, that the federal government has a long way to go to ensure equal opportunities for minority-owned news outlets,” Norton continued.
In April, dozens of federal agencies launched plans for more equity to open federal programs to more people and reduce racial disparities caused by government decisions. “Advancing equity is not a one-year project. It’s a generational commitment,” Biden stated. “These plans are an important step forward, reflecting the Biden Harris administration’s work to make the promise of America real for every American, and I mean every American.” In the Johnson-led letter, members of Congress have issued a request for Biden Administration to investigate and report back complex data on “the process by which they grant advertising contracts, and how they oversee those contracts after they are granted.” “The federal government spends billions of dollars a year in paid advertising. However, the federal government’s process for allocating advertising dollars fails to recognize and value the unique relationship that Black-owned media have with their audiences,” Johnson wrote.
BUSINESS DIRECTORY
TIPS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES
To Survive And Thrive and new customers • Target new markets
Small businesses are the heartbeat of communities. They pump life into neighborhoods, making them vibrant places to live, work and raise families, and are key to millions of local jobs. To strengthen your business, Wells Fargo offers the following tips to move from surviving to thriving:
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Be flexible. If there was one lesson business owners learned from COVID-19, it was to be flexible. Businesses had Photo: PICHA Stock to revamp their online offerings and create a digital, rising rates and growing ecommerce presence. Betcosts of supplies and serween staffing demands, vices mean for you? Keep supply chain delays and risin touch with your tax ading interest rates and inflavisor, accountant, and local tion, write your plans in chambers of commerce to pencil. stay in the know. Stay in the know. Stay Prepare for new cominformed of the latest petition. Now that life developments that has regained a sense could impact your busiof normalcy, new business ness. For example, what do
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trends are emerging fast. To prepare for new competition, stay ahead of your competitors and drive new growth: • Know your customers, and find and solve their pain points • Ensure you have competitive pricing • Provide exceptional customer service to existing
Invest in growth strategically. To continue to grow, demonstrate that you’re willing to invest in the future. However, it’s never cheap, and you might not be able to afford needed investments. Before borrowing money or taking out a loan, consider opportunities like changing payments or reducing expenses. Then look into the right lending opportunities when you are ready to accomplish big milestones like expanding or adding new technologies. Whether you’re a seasoned business owner or new entrepreneur, consider using these tips to succeed and thrive in an ever-changing environment. (StatePoint)
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