2026 Classified Professional Development Day 

Friday, August 14, 2026

Registration is Now Open!

Use the hyperlinks in the title of each session to be directed to it's registration page.

Preconference (CSEA 651)

Topic	Summary	Presenter	Location
Actve Shooter Training	This workshop will provide active shooter updates, strategies for surviving an active shooter incident, and prepare participants to be a leader during an active shooter event.	Chief Kelli Florman	POD Loft (06-264)
Fire Extinguisher Training	Fire Extinguisher Training for CSEA 651	Chief Raymond Mosack	28B Room 212

Continental Breakfast

Summit Center (7:50 - 8:30 a.m.)

 

Opening Session and Keynote Speaker

Summit Center (8:30 - 10:15 a.m.)

BUILT TO LAST: The Classified Professional's Guide to Surviving  and Shaping Institutional Change

Classified professionals are the institutional backbone and the people who keep campuses running through leadership transitions, budget cuts, and organizational upheaval. Yet too often, the systems meant to support them fall short, leaving classified professionals to absorb instability without the resources, recognition, or breathing room they deserve. In this grounded, high-energy keynote, Dr. Natalie Vázquez draws on the Professional Learning Hierarchy of Needs Framework and her own experience navigating institutional crisis to help classified professionals reclaim their identity, understand what they are owed, and take small but powerful steps toward protecting their well-being and shaping the institutions they have built.

 

Breakout Session #1

(10:30 - 11:45 a.m.)

Topic	Summary	Presenter	Location
In this Economy?! - A Guide to the Free, Nearly Free, and Wellness Benefits of Being a Mountie	As someone on a fitness journey on a working-class budget I’ve made a hobby of maximizing all of the free or nearly free wellness and health benefits that come with being a Mountie, health insurance benefits, and community and internet offerings. I’m here to share.	Elizabeth Long	410- 1020 A&B
Radiating Self-Love: A Journey into Self-Care	This workshop is all about you - your peace, your energy, and your ability to create balance in your life. Self-care isn't a luxury - it's a necessity. It's how we refill our cup so we can show up fully, both for ourselves and for the people we love.	Shalini Chatarpaul	410 - Summit Room V
CSEA 262: How to Get Involved	This session would detail how to get involved on campus and in the union.	Kaylynn Lare	POD Loft (06-264)
From Passion to Practice in your 9-5	What ideas would your authentic self-bring to your job if no was not an answer?  Many of us have passions outside our 9-5 and many times those passions are left   at the door. What if we were to tell you that your passion can be part of your work? Bring your passion to practice! Join us to hear of successful passion to practice projects happening right now at Mt. SAC and learn best practices to create your own.	Paola Benitez, Perla Partida, Josh Loudon	POD Smartlab (06-263)
Small Moves in Practice: Advocacy, Boundaries & Building Your Network	The keynote names the problem. This workshop builds the response. In this interactive session, participants move from insight to action using the Professional Learning Hierarchy of Needs as a self-advocacy tool, reframing boundaries as institutional care rather than self-indulgence, and mapping the classified networks that become essential when formal support structures fall short. Every strategy is grounded in the real conditions of classified work, and participants leave with a concrete plan they have already reality-checked against their own office culture.	Dr. Natalie Vazquez	410 Summit - Meridian
Change Starts WITH Me: Practicing the WITH Approach in Our Work and Lives	We’ll introduce the IIRP Social Discipline Window and the Restorative Justice Program approach, focusing on how we can work WITH others to build stronger relationships, accountability, and community. Grounded in the idea that “change starts with me,” participants will reflect on how their everyday choices—at work and in life—impact communication and trust. Through real-life scenarios and simple activities, participants will identify their default responses (TO, FOR, NOT) and practice shifting toward a WITH approach that balances support and accountability. We’ll also experience a restorative circle and explore how these practices can be used daily—not just in conflict, but in how we collaborate, make decisions, and show up for one another.	The Restorative Justice (RJ) Program Facilitators	410 Multicultural Center (2nd Floor)
Fire Extinguisher Training	Fire Extinguisher training for all eligible employees	Chief Raymond Mosack	28B - 212
Connecting Beyond Words: Practical Communication Strategies for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Inclusion	This interactive workshop equips staff with strategies for communicating effectively and respectfully with Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing students and colleagues. Participants will explore common communication barriers, learn inclusive best practices, and gain tools to create more accessible, welcoming, and collaborative learning and working environments. Whether you're new to working with Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing individuals or looking to strengthen your skills, this session offers practical techniques you can apply immediately	Jennifer  Stephenson	410 Summit Room IV

Lunch

Summit Center Entrance  (11:45 - 12:15 p.m.) - Expect something different this year!

 

Breakout Session #2

(12:30 - 1:45 p.m.)

Topic	Summary	Presenter	Location
Barre Fitness Class	A barre fitness workout is a low-impact routine blending elements of ballet, pilates, yoga, and strength training.  Join Caitlin for controlled movements that target deep muscle groups using time under tension.  This safe yet high-intensity workout is for all fitness levels. Grip socks are encouraged, but not mandatory.	Caitlin Rodriguez	Wellness Center - Room 2280
Leaves & Accommodations Training	This training will cover the leaves outlined in the CSEA 262 contract, when you are eligible to take them, and which to use under what circumstances.	410 Summit Room V	Val Biller
Trauma-Informed Workplace: Small Moves, Big Changes that Reduce Burnout and Build Resilient Teams	This interactive workshop reframes burnout not as a personal failure or another self-care assignment, but as a predictable response to chronic stress, vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, and high-stakes service in complex public institutions.	Lita Abella	410 - Summit Meridian
Preparing for Staff Email Retention Policy Changes (AP 3310)	There is a new Administrative Policy coming that will change staff email retention. Are you prepared for the email retention policy change? Learn how this new policy will impact all staff and how you can make sure your email data is secured. Mt. SAC records are classified into 3 groups, and email data must be retained if it falls into class 1! This session will train individuals in how to identify, backup, and migrate Outlook email data so that it is not deleted due to the new retention policy (AP 3310).	Israel Correa	POD Loft (06-264)
Queering Mt. SAC: Beyond Pride 101	Attendees will be able to engage in activities to assess their knowledge of LGBTQIA2S+ education to ignite their efforts to Queer their workspace, practices to students, and share best practices beyond the mainstream understanding of Pride. Supporting this year's CPD theme, "Small Moves, Big Changes: Building Healthy Habits & Navigating Difficulties" this workshop seeks to contribute to the collective knowledge of small moves to strengthen inclusion as it relates to LGBTQIA2S+ communities at Mt. SAC.	Rony Castellanos Raymundo, Anthony Mestas	410 Summit Room IV
Brown Act Training	This training provides an overview of the Ralph M. Brown Act and its application to community college committees that are subject to open meeting laws. Participants will gain a clear understanding of the Act’s requirements to ensure transparency, public access, and accountability in decision-making processes relative to their role as committee Chairs and committee Administrative Support. Key topics include posting requirements, agenda preparation, public participation, teleconferencing, committee communication, quorum, best practices, and how to ensure compliance using the College’s online agenda management system.  Participants will have the opportunity to explore real-time scenarios and ask questions to enhance their confidence.	Carol Nelson	410-1020 A&B
Is Anybody Listening?	When it comes to listening, most of us are in the habit of listening passively, reactively, or impatiently. These forms of “listening” are counterproductive, especially when it comes to navigating difficult conversations. In this interactive workshop that involves role-playing and other listening activities, participants will learn the steps to listening actively, reflectively, and patiently. When this type of listening becomes a habit, personal and professional relationships are strengthened and growth is guaranteed.	Dr. Mica Stewart	410 - Multicultural Center (2nd Floor)

Breakout Session #3

(2:00 - 3:15 p.m.)

Topic	Summary	Presenter	Location
Mindfulness and Self-Compassion with Sound	This session will include guided mindfulness and breath work, including mindful listening and sharing as well as the use of sound instruments for a relaxing sound bath experience. Mindful Self-Compassion (as developed by Dr. Kristin Neff) will be introduced and practiced through short writing prompts. These practices can be used in our daily work relationships, in our service to the community as well as our personal lives and relationships. A limited amount of yoga mats will be provided - feel free to bring your own, or your preferred blanket.	Andrea Torres	410 Dance Hall (Second floor)
Helping Students Thrive: Understanding Basic Needs Support at Mt. SAC	Students experiencing food insecurity, housing instability, financial hardship, and other basic needs challenges often first open up to trusted classified professionals across campus. This interactive session will help participants better understand the landscape of student basic needs at Mt. SAC, learn about the services available through the Basic Needs Resources Program, and explore practical ways to connect students to support through compassionate, trauma-informed interactions. Participants will leave with a stronger understanding of referral pathways, available resources such as the food pantry, CalFresh outreach, housing navigation, emergency support, and strategies to help students feel seen, supported, and connected rather than simply redirected.	Rigo Estrada	410 Summit Room IV
Staff in Bloom	Have you ever stopped to admire a rose on the sidewalk or a bouquet of flowers at the grocery store? Do you like arranging flowers or have you always wanted to? Join us in making your very own floral arrangement. Floral design is a gender neutral art form that encourages creativity, relaxation, community building, and learning. Flowers are more dynamic than you think, just like us. As classified staff, we care about our students, but we must also care for ourselves. Each of us are our own unique flower, with our own unique needs to thrive and bloom. Come learn about flowers, engage your creativity, and just take a moment to stop and smell the roses.	Xiaopan Xue	410-1020 A&B
Calling All Writers! Journaling Our Way to Emotional Wellness	We often hear about how journaling is an effective tool in enhancing our overall emotional well-being, but what does that really look like? Do you have to sit lengthy amounts of time every day penning your thoughts in a lounge chair or under a shady tree? Do you have to be an experienced writer with flawless punctuation and grammar as if you are writing your life script for a stage production? Do you have to buy expensive leather covered notebooks to store your precious innermost thoughts? Absolutely not! The beauty of journaling is that you are the manager and author of your story, so you can do it anytime and anywhere with no specialized equipment or writing skill. This laid-back workshop, including group discussion and writing prompts, is an introduction to how journaling can help you process life’s ebbs and flows, memorialize cherishing moments, and visualize your better self on the other side of traumatic or less-fortunate events.	Melissa Andrewin	410 Summit Room V
Aqua Fitness	Aquatic resistance principles applied in a high-energy cardio routine that includes all areas of the body. Open for all physical capacities: Being in the water is great for all physical levels, injuries, and or incapacities.	Erica Ledezma	Wellness Center Pool
Your Office BFF: Canva and the Marketing Identity Guide	A guided look at how to utilize Canva and the Marketing identity guide in day-to-day Mt. SAC operations	Adrienne Kimm & Cynthia Orr	POD Loft (06-264)
Dealing with Lying MFs	Our feelings lie to us and can manipulate us into believing that we don’t belong (Imposter Syndrome) and that we are incapable of succeeding, especially if we are a member of a minoritized group (Stereotype Threat). In this workshop, I explain how messages we receive within the larger culture and even our own families can feed these false beliefs. I then provide practical, evidence-based strategies for challenging these Lying, Manipulating Feelings (i.e. the Lying MFs) and replacing them with the liberating truth: We all have value and much positivity to contribute to the world.	Dr. Mica Stewart	410 - Multicultural Center (2nd Floor)

Closing Session

(3:30 - 4:30 p.m.)

 

We look forward to seeing you at this year's CPD Day!