Pacific Oaks College Announces Reverend Mary E. Tudela as Inaugural Honorary Degree Recipient at 2017 Commencement Ceremony

Pacific Oaks College & Children’s School (PO) is proud to announce its 2017 Commencement Ceremony speaker and inaugural honorary degree recipient, Reverend Mary E. Tudela. With overwhelming support from the PO community, the Board of Trustees will present Reverend Tudela with the college’s first honorary doctorate degree, the Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa. Tudela will also deliver the main address during commencement, taking place at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on May 6, 2017.

Tudela’s commitment to PO is evident in her distinguished contributions and service to the institution. Tudela served on the Pacific Oaks Education Corporation Board of Trustees from 2012 to 2016, serving as Vice Chair of the Board and also as Chair for the Children’s School Committee. Tudela provided leadership and significant guidance to the Children’s School, building a solid operational foundation in concert with PO’s values of kindness and compassion.

“We are thrilled to be honoring Reverend Mary E. Tudela for the exemplary and distinguished contributions she made to advance Pacific Oaks College & Children’s School, and her professional eminence in the application of leadership and humanity to practice,” said Dr. Patricia A. Breen, Ph.D., President of Pacific Oaks.

Tudela is an ordained priest in the Episcopal Church, a premarital and marriage enrichment coach, author, leadership coach, and former executive at a Fortune 500 company. She works with leaders of business, non-profit organizations, and congregations on leadership development and strategic planning and visioning, as well as providing pastoral care to her clients. Tudela published a book on faith based leadership in the corporate workplace.

At the commencement ceremony, Pacific Oaks College anticipates graduating nearly 400 students, who will earn their Bachelor and Master level degrees in the field of Education, Human Development, and Marital & Family Therapy.

About Pacific Oaks College & Children’s School

Founded more than 70 years ago by a small group of Quaker families, Pacific Oaks College & Children’s School (PO) is a non-profit, accredited higher education institution offering Bachelor’s-completion and Master’s programs in human development, marriage and family therapy, education, early childhood education, teacher credentialing, and organizational leadership and change. Pacific Oaks Children’s School provides early childhood education programs for children ages 6 months through 5 years and has pioneered achievements in the areas of anti-bias education, emergent curriculum, and peaceful conflict resolution. The Children’s School is designated as an outdoor classroom demonstration site.

PO remains dedicated to the fundamental Quaker principles of inclusion, social justice, and the valuing of each individual. The school has a long history of serving non-traditional and adult students and is known for its experiential and culture-centered approach to education. PO offers classes at its main campus in Pasadena, its San Jose Campus, and at instructional sites throughout California. PO is regionally accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) and is a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). For more information, visit www.pacificoaks.edu.

Pacific Oaks College is an affiliate of TCS Education System, a non-profit system of colleges advancing student success and community impact.