Omar Murillo

2022-23 Aspen Rising Presidents Fellow
Dr. Murillo is an experienced leader driven by a focus on improving the student experience and increasing pathways to success. Dr. Omar Murillo is currently the vice president of Student Services at Mission College. Previously, he held the position of Director of the U.S. Department of Education Title III Grant at Mission College. Murillo served as the Program Coordinator and Retention Specialist for the TRiO Student Support Services (SSS) Program at CSU Monterey Bay (CSUMB).

Outside of education, Murillo has served as the Board president for the Alisal Center for the Fine Arts in Salinas, California (2013-2016) and continues to serve on the Board in various capacities. He served as chapter president for the Central California Chapter of the Western Association for Educational Opportunity Personnel (WESTOP) in 2014-2015.

Murillo was also a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA). Dr. Murillo continues to focus on professional development and educational advocacy, as evident through his participation in the 2018 National Community College Hispanic Council (NCCHC) Leadership Fellows Program, his leadership with the AANAPISI national community, and his involvement with the Chief Student Services Officer (CSSO) association of California Community Colleges.

Murillo holds a M.A. in Education with a concentration in Counseling and Student Services from San Jose State University and a B.A. in Liberal Students with a minor in Spanish from CSUMB. He received hisEd.D. from San Francisco State University (SFSU) for his dissertation, "Family Away from Home: Support Systems for Multi-generational Hispanic Students at a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI)".