The Compton Community College District (CCCD) held a swearing-in ceremony for its Board of Trustees members on Dec. 17, 2024. Two of the five trustee areas were up for election on November 5, 2024.
Trustee Barbara Calhoun (Trustee Area 2) was re-elected to another term and was sworn in by retired Senator Steven Bradford. Incumbent Trustee Sonia Lopez (Trustee Area 3), who ran uncontested, was sworn in by Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell (District 2).
Both will serve four-year terms effective Dec. 13, 2024.
According to CCCD Board Policy 2100, terms of trustees are staggered so that, as nearly as practical, one half of the trustees shall be elected at each trustee election. The District has all five seats filled on its Board and the members are as follows:
Andres Ramos, Trustee Area 1
Andres Ramos was elected to the Compton Community College District Board of Trustees for the first time in November 2007 at the age of 22, making him the youngest Latino board member in the District’s history.
He is a native of Lynwood and is a product of the Lynwood Unified School District. Ramos attended Long Beach City College and transferred to USC where he earned a bachelor’s degree in communications. Currently, he is pursuing a master’s degree in communication studies at California State University, Los Angeles.

Barbara Jean Calhoun, Trustee Area 2
Barbara Jean Calhoun resides in the city of Compton and retired after more than 34 years of service to the City of Los Angeles, where she worked as a clerk typist supervisor and traffic officer.
Since 2014, she has served as a proctor for the State Bar of California’s Committee of Bar Examiners. Calhoun was elected and served two consecutive terms, in 2003 and 2007, as a city council member for the City of Compton (District 1).
She also served one term on the Board of Trustees for the Compton Unified School District from 2001-2003. She attended Los Angeles Trade Technical College where she studied labor law.
Sonia Lopez, Trustee Area 3
Sonia Lopez, a resident of South Gate, was first elected to the CCCD Board of Trustees in 2013 at the age of 30. She is the deputy director of engagement for Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Second District. In 2019, Lopez served as district director for California State Senate Budget Chair Holly J. Mitchell of the 30th District.
Lopez has overseen all district operations and represented the Senator throughout the 30th Senatorial District at various community events and meetings while handling the policy areas of higher education, transportation, utilities, youth, workforce, labor, senior affairs, women’s rights, homelessness, and anti-poverty.
Lopez has played an instrumental role in creating events throughout the 30th Senatorial District to educate the community on such issues as the Affordable Care Act, common senior frauds, and homelessness. In the past nine years, she has helped to provide resources to families from disadvantaged communities by hosting various district annual events.
Throughout her tenure with Senator Mitchell, Lopez has been dedicated to helping constituents navigate state government. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she worked closely with constituents experiencing severe financial hardships to ensure their access to unemployment benefits.
She serves on the Advisory Board for LAtinas, Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation RBI Advisory Committee, and is an active member in the Young Elected Officials Network and National Association of Latino Elected Officials.
Juanita Doplemore, Trustee Area 4
Juanita Doplemore, a Long Beach resident, is a long-time employee of Federal Express and currently works as a senior global service analyst. She also serves on the California Student Aid Commission as a community appointee, co-chairing the Data, Research, and Strategic Planning Committee and contributing as a member of the Student Impact, Outreach and Communications Committee.
Doplemore seeks out philanthropic and community advocacy opportunities and in 2019, served as co-chair of the Veterans Affairs Commission for the City of Long Beach. She is an active member of the Collins Neighborhood Association and served as a troop leader for the Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles where she was also a council delegate from 2017-2020.
Doplemore is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree online through the University of Washington, Seattle, and she earned an associate degree from North Seattle Community College.
Dr. Sharoni Denise Little, Trustee Area 5
Dr. Sharoni Denise Little is CEO of The Strategist Company, LLC. She is a global strategist and expert in inclusion, diversity, equity, antiracism, bias mitigation, executive leadership, social justice, and inclusive communication who advises organizations, executives, educators, and community leaders globally on the development of holistic, evidence-based strategies and solutions.
Previously, she was the inaugural leader of global inclusion at Creative Artists Agency (CAA), overseeing the company’s global strategic diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility efforts.
Prior to joining CAA, Little, a professor emeritus, served as the vice dean and senior diversity, equity, and inclusion officer at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business. She is an author and has been featured on top media outlets.
An educational and social advocate, Little is vice chair of the California Community Colleges Women’s Committee, and a member of the California Community Colleges Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility statewide steering committee. She earned a doctorate in rhetoric, cultural studies and law from Indiana University, a doctorate in education from the University of Southern California, and both a master’s and bachelor’s degree in organizational communication from California State University, Los Angeles.
Compton Community College District Board of Trustees members are responsible for attending all Board meetings and key Compton College events, as well as participating in trustee education programs.
Annual Organizational Meeting
As part of its annual organizational meeting on Dec. 17, 2024, the Board of Trustees also elected officers. Andres Ramos was elected president, Sonia Lopez was elected vice president, and Sharoni Little will serve as clerk. Compton Community College District CEO, Dr. Keith Curry, was appointed secretary.
In addition, Barbara Calhoun will serve as the district representative to the Los Angeles County School Trustees Association, and Juanita Doplemore will serve as a member of the Los Angeles County Committee on School District Organization. Additionally, Sonia Lopez was appointed to review nominations for membership on the California Community Colleges Trustees Board.
Lead photo caption: Compton Community College District Board of Trustees (left to right) Sonia Lopez, Barbara Calhoun, Juanita Doplemore, Sharoni Little, and Andres Ramos with Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell (2nd from the left) and retired Senator Steven Bradford (third from the right).
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