Centennial Spotlight: Dr. Judith Valles

While attending San Bernardino Valley College in 1952, two professors saw potential in Judith Lopez Valles, a daughter of Mexican immigrants. “Their encouragement and support provided the foundation for me to ‘dare to compete,’” said Valles, who went on to do that and much more.

 

Valles, who was elected as the first Hispanic mayor of San Bernardino in 1998 and inducted into the SBVC Alumni Hall of Fame in 1991, got her start in education. She taught elementary and high school while earning her bachelor’s degree at the University of Redlands, and was appointed to the SBVC faculty in 1965 as a Spanish teacher. During her 33 years at SBVC, Valles rose through the ranks, leading the department of foreign languages, chairing the division of humanities, and later serving as administrative dean of academic affairs, chief instructional officer, and executive vice president of academic and student affairs. At the same time, she continued her own education, earning her master's in Spanish literature from UC Riverside in 1970 and doing doctoral work at UCLA and the University of Redlands. 

 

She left SBVC in 1988 when she was named president of Golden West College, and at the time told the Los Angeles Times she was ready to put her perseverant spirit to the test. "As a woman and minority, you have to work twice as hard and twice as long," she declared. After retiring in 1993, Valles continued to devote herself to education, serving as a San Bernardino Community College District trustee, hosting the Spanish-speaking television shows ‘Impacto’ on KVCR-TV and “La Voz’ on KCSB, launching the Valles Family Scholarship at SBVC, and guest lecturing at Harvard University on gender and leadership issues. During her two terms as mayor of San Bernardino, Valles oversaw renovations of the city’s historic areas, increased neighborhood cluster associations, and expanded youth programs.