Valeri Cirino-Paez serves as the Associate Director of Disability Accommodations and Support Services (DASS) providing leadership and administration of DASS Programs and Operations. Valeri brings over 15+ years of direct experience and expertise in the field of post-secondary disability services and has a broad spectrum of professional experience upholding and fostering the civil rights of individuals with disabilities including Post-secondary, K-12 educational setting, community college, non-profit and government agencies. Prior to joining CI Division of Student Affairs, Valeri was the Director of Services for Students with Disabilities at California Lutheran University where she expanded student services and resources, developed their first assistive technology lab and founded their campus-wide Disability Awareness Week.
Valeri began her dedicated service to CSUCI in 2007, and continues to transform and develop innovating services and resources for students at CI including; implementation of automated student portal for greater access to DASS services, implementation of contracted professional note taking services to ensure efficient access to courses, development and facilitation of Dolphin Dive-In Transition Program, built foundation for DASS P.I.E.R. Retention Program, and worked at the State Level for over three years to successfully achieve a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with California Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) to provide direct DOR services on CSUCI campus. Valeri is a strong liaison between DASS and campus and community organizations and has built collaborative relationship sharing her expertise and strong passion for CI students with disabilities. At CSUCI, she has served on Presidential appointed committees and tasks forces including the President's Commission on Human Relations, Diversity, and Equity and served as a member of the President’s Advisory Council on Inclusive Excellence. Members serve as high-level, strategic advisors to the President to shape institutional strategy to advance equity, justice, diversity, and inclusivity. The Statewide CSU System appointed Valeri to serve two-year terms for the CSU Executive Vice Chancellor’s Student Mental Health Services Advisory Committee and continues 15 years of service and membership on the CSU Statewide Disability Directors Committee. At the request of the Division of Student Affairs, Valeri played an integral role working with the campus architect to design and name The Educational Access Center to ensure it provided a welcoming inclusive environment and met the diverse academic needs of CI students with disabilities, which was the blueprint for the current DASS Office located in Arroyo Hall.
Valeri also has strong community relations and served on the Moorpark College Access Advisory Committee and the Ventura County Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) which is the second largest SELPA in the state, serving over 16,000 students with disabilities in the 21 districts in Ventura County, the Ventura County Office of Education, and the Las Virgenes Unified School District in Los Angeles County. Valeri belongs to national and state disability professional organizations and was selected to present on best practices for serving post-secondary students with disabilities and innovative services for college students with autism for the prestigious Association for Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) and NASPA, the leading association for the advancement, health, and sustainability of the student affairs profession comprised of over 15,000 members in all 50 states, 25 countries, and 8 U.S. Territories. Valeri has also served as guest lecture on the topic of ADA in post-secondary and the field of higher education disability services at various universities.
Valeri, referred as “Ms. Val” by her students was awarded The Maximus Award which honors CSU Channel Islands' (CI) greatest faculty, administrator or staff member who has enriched the campus community by setting an example of selfless service to others, providing guidance through mentorship, striving to better the future of CI and influencing and inspiring others through a student-centered focus.
Valeri graduated with Chancellor Service Honors from University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) with a B.A. in Sociology and concentration in Psychology. She received her M.S. in Counseling and Guidance with a specialization in College Student Personnel from California Lutheran University. Valeri was born and raised in Ventura County and is happiest spending time with her family and watching her three children when they play sports, provide community service, laugh, and love life.