Anneka Rogers Whitmer (she/her)

Director of Special Programs

(CW, DSPS, DRC, EOPS-CARE, Fostering Forward, Native, TRiO-SSS & MEOC)

Transfer Team- Admin lead

LGBTQ+ Liaison

Columbia College

209-588-5145

https://www.gocolumbia.edu/student_services

Please use the link above to explore all our Special Programs, designed to support specialized populations within our Student Services Division at Columbia College.  Feel free to email, call, or stop by the campus with any questions you may have about services, application/intake, or collaboration with any of our Special Programs.

I am an uninvited guest on Me-Wuk ancestral territories. I honor their sovereignty and commit to being a responsible guest and ally on these lands. Learn more about how to honor Native Land here and here. Printable Guide. 

About

I am an alumni of Columbia College, class of 1997, AA in Psychology. I worked for the Gateway/TRIO program while I was a student here at Columbia. That first experience of being mentored and then mentoring others have lead directly to my career in higher education. I am so grateful for the outstanding instruction and guidance I received while a student right here at Columbia College! 

I completed my BA in Psychology in 2000, at Sonoma State. I worked for another Pre-College TRiO funded program on the SSU campus for two years. Then I moved to Modesto area and worked for Stanislaus County Department of Employment and Training (Alliance Worknet) for 10 years. I taught workforce preparation classes to adults of all ages. Also, I was a career counselor to youth, ages 17-21 with barriers such as teen parents, former foster youth and drop out gang members. This was an extremely rewarding and challenging position. While there, I supervised clerical and line worker staff, gaining valuable management experience.  

In 2008, I completed my MA in Instructional Communication at CSU Sacramento. While I was a graduate student I had the honor of teaching Argumentation and Critical Thinking (Coms 2) at Sac State. This transformed my way of thinking about how students think and succeed in college/ life.  In life, everything is an argument- everything you come in contact with is asking you to do, think, or believe something…how will you think critically about it, to make educated choices as a citizen on this planet?

I was thrilled to return to work at Columbia College as the Director of TRiO grants in 2011. Starting in 2022 I became the Director of Special Programs, which includes many categorically state funded programs such as CalWORKS, Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSPS), Dream Resource Center, Extended Opportunities Programs and Services- with CARE and NextUp, both federally-funded TRiO grants (SSS and MEOC), as well as manage equity services for Native Students and LGBTQ+ Students (non-programs), and a campus-based (college-funded) program called Phoenix Scholars-- paired with other services for those who have experienced the foster care system- they are collectively called Fostering Forward. 

I hope you enjoy your time at Columbia College!