About the Center
Mission and Guiding Statement
The Center for Community Engagement (CCE) oversees, facilitates, and supports community-centered High Impact Practices (HIPs) such as Community Service Learning, Academic Internships and Community-Based Participatory and Action Research as well as other campus-community projects, events and initiatives focused on student success and aligned with ºÚÁÏÍø’s Beach 2030 vision and goals identifies, builds and strengthens the institutional infrastructure needed to support, scale, and sustain programming that advances student success across ºÚÁÏÍø and advances the Public Good in the communities we serve.
The Center for Community Engagement (CCE) represents an expansion of the former Community Service Learning Center (CSLC), which was established in 1998 as a special project of the Center for Faculty Development to institutionalize Service Learning at ºÚÁÏÍø. In the past few years, the CCE has broadened our vision, mission and scope to include other forms of community engagement, civic engagement and experiential learning; including but not limited to: Service Learning, Academic Internships, and Community-based Research. The center has also helped to secure millions of dollars of external funding and grants toward student success and community engagement efforts across campus and in the community; addressing a wide-range of community issues and positively impacting many communities in the region.
The CCE Advisory Board, brings together a diverse group of on- and off-campus leaders to lend their expertise and strategic insight. The board plays a vital role in guiding the CCE’s priorities, with a shared commitment to expanding student access to high-impact learning experiences such as service learning, academic internships, and community-based research. We extend our sincere gratitude to the Advisory Board members for their time, knowledge, and advocacy in advancing the mission and initiatives of the CCE.
CCE Advisory Board Members
James Ahumada
Sr. Vice President & Deputy CEO
Downtown Long Beach Alliance
Catherine Ward
Chief of Operations, Office of the Provost
CSU Long Beach
CCE Community Partner Map
In the Geography 482/582 course, Advanced Digital Cartography & GIS taught by Dr. Hyowon Ban, students collaborated with six California community partners (LB Forward, City Fabrick, LAANE, Food Oasis LA, Grid Alternatives, and CCE) in Spring 2025 to support community partner's mapping needs. The course aimed to equip students with skills to design digital maps and address community mapping needs.
Two students, Eric Bohay and Charlie Lopez, from the course developed a to highlight CCE’s community partners across Southern California. The map features 85 active partners—organizations that have hosted students and maintain current affiliation agreements with ºÚÁÏÍø. Users can filter the map to display sites that support service learning, academic internships, or both. An additional feature allows users to explore focus areas, which represent the core issues each organization addresses. These focus areas reflect the mission-driven priorities that guide the organization’s programs, initiatives, and community impact.
Contact Us
CCE-Admin@csulb.edu
Prospective students and requests for general CCE program information, events, and fiscal issues
CCE-SL@csulb.edu
Service learning Faculty, Student, and Community Partner questions, including S4 troubleshooting
CCE-Internships@csulb.edu
Academic Internships Office general questions
Center for Community Engagement Office Phone
(562) 985-7131
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
| NAME | TITLE | CONTACT |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Juan M. Benitez | Executive Director | Juan.Benitez@csulb.edu |
| Mitra Baghdadi | Associate Director | Mitra.Baghdadi@csulb.edu |
| Isabelle Garcia | Office Coordinator | Isabelle.Garcia@csulb.edu |
SERVICE LEARNING STAFF
| NAME | TITLE | CONTACT |
|---|---|---|
| B'Jon Jones | Community-Engaged Programs Coordinator | Bjon.Jones@csulb.edu |
| Vacant | Community-Engaged Programs Assistant | CCE-SL@csulb.edu |
| Dr. Kara Miller | Faculty Fellow (Spring 2025) | Kara.Miller@csulb.edu |
| Dr. Sara Taylor | Faculty Fellow (Fall 2024) | Sara.Taylor@csulb.edu |
ACADEMIC INTERNSHIP STAFF
| NAME | TITLE | CONTACT |
|---|---|---|
| Michelle Chang | Director, Academic Internships Office | Michelle.Chang@csulb.edu |
| Kristal Domme | Internship Program Assistant | Kristal.Domme@csulb.edu |
| Dr. Beth Manke | Senior Faculty Fellow | Beth.Manke@csulb.edu |
Visit Us
We are located in the Academic Services Building (AS) 127 situated besides ºÚÁÏÍø Library.
The Center for Community Engagement and Staff Offices are located on the first floor of the building opposite to ATS.
