Teresa Dreyfuss
Superintendent/President
Ms. Dreyfuss has been working at Río Hondo College since 1987. Over the years she managed to work from Senior Accountant to Superintendent/President of Río Hondo College. Managing a college is a major commitment with many responsibilities, yet she has been able to volunteer in the community she has worked for so many years.
A native of Taiwan, Ms. Dreyfuss first came to the College in 1987, and previously served as Interim Superintendent/President and Vice President, Finance and Business. She has also served as Chief Financial Officer, Controller/Business Manager, Business Manager, and Senior Accountant. Ms. Dreyfuss was appointed Superintendent/President by the Río Hondo College Board of Trustees on July 1, 2013. Ms. Dreyfuss retired in June, 2019 and was reappointed as Acting Superintendent/President by the Board of Trustees on July 18, 2020.
She has been instrumental guiding the $250 million facilities construction program, known as ‘Measure A’ which is nearing completion and which has transformed the aging hilltop campus into a modern institution including three educational centers to provide access for underserved areas of the Río Hondo College service area.
Under her leadership, her major accomplishments at Río Hondo College are as follows:
- Expanding Associate Degrees for Transfer from three (3) to 16 by September 2014, and then to a total of 27 in 2019.
- Honoring 1,399 students in May 2018 for earning an estimated 2,001 academic degrees, including 653 degrees for transfer, which guarantee admission to the California State University system. Both figures top the College’s numbers for 2016-17.
- The automotive technology program is one of the nation’s premier programs. The program includes partnerships with major auto firms, including a 12-week technical training program with TESLA that launched in spring 2018.
- Earning full WASC accreditation, ensuring the next accreditation review will not occur until 2022 due to our thorough reports and answers during the 2014 accreditation visits.
- Launching the Río Promise in 2017 and expanding it in 2018 to include a second year of free tuition for first-time college students, making Río Hondo College the first in Los Angeles County to make such a pledge.
- Securing a Pathway to Law School program, one of only 28 programs recognized across the state to guide students from community college to a four-year university and into a top law school.
- Río Hondo College received the Diversity Champion Award from California LAW for excellence at the 2018 Pathway to Law Summit.
- Posting a 100 percent job placement record for the Wildland Fire Academy, where cadets are also involved in battling California’s wildfires.
- Restoring the Police Academy to full operation, including two classes annually. The academy, now considered one of the most rigorous in the state, graduated 63 students in 2018 who are serving as police officers in more than 20 departments.
Ms. Dreyfuss holds a MBA from the University of Laverne and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Chinese Culture, Taipei, Taiwan. She has worked as a part-time instructor at both Río Hondo College and Los Angeles City College, teaching accounting and business classes for 10 years. She has also worked at Riverside Community College District as Director of Business.
Prior to her retirement, Ms. Dreyfuss served on several boards including Workers Compensation JPA, Dental & Vision JPA, General and Product Liability JPA, Captive Insurance for Public Agencies Limited, L.A. County Fourth District Consolidated Oversight Board, Los Angeles Orange County Regional Consortia, member of Governance Council and member of the El Monte/South El Monte Chamber of Commerce. She was a member of the Chancellor’s Office Facility Task Force and Chief Business Officials California Community College. In March, 2019, Ms. Dreyfuss was selected as the 57th District Woman of the Year by Majority Leader Assemblyman Ian C. Calderon. In April, 2019, Ms. Dreyfuss was the recipient of the Educational Award given by the Hispanic Outreach Taskforce (HOT) at their Positive Image Awards Luncheon. In December, 2019, Ms. Dreyfuss served as the Grand Marshall of the 56th Annual Whittier Uptown Association’s Holiday Parade. Ms. Dreyfuss was appointed by Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, First District, to the Los Angeles County Quality and Productivity Commission.
Currently, President Dreyfuss is a member of the Soroptimist International of Whittier and Soroptimist International of El Monte/South El Monte, Whittier Historical Society, American Association of University Women. She is also Vice Chair of the City of Whittier’s Sister City Committee, Senior Advisor to the L.A. Positive Chinese Association, as well as a Board Member of the Chinese Culture, University Southern California Alumni Association, and faculty member at the Leadership Development Program for Higher Education. Ms. Dreyfuss also serves as the Committee Chair and auditor appointed by Alhambra/San Gabriel Elks Lodge.
As Acting Superintendent/President, Ms. Dreyfuss is committed to ensuring that Río Hondo College remains fiscally strong while focusing on student success.
