
Zaneta Salde Encarnacion
Zaneta Salde Encarnacion is a lifelong resident of San Diego County. She is a doctoral candidate at the University of Southern California and her research focus is reconstructing systems with equitable opportunities for all and the types of leaders we need to make this possible. Her volunteerism includes serving on the boards for The San Diego LGBT Community Center, The Museum of Us, and Child Development Associates. She loves and values her fierce inner circle of family and friends. She thrives in intentional relationships that serve a greater good. She is the chief of staff at Southwestern College and lives in Chula Vista.
All Stories

To the beloved, beautiful, worthy transgender and nonbinary community: You are magic. From every cell in your body to the way you move through this world, you are needed and...

As dysfunction becomes the norm, this clunky word is helping me keep a positive mindset
Encarnacion is chief of staff for the superintendent/president at Southwestern Community College District and lives in Chula Vista.“More than a billion spokes and each one believing they are the center of...

The first time I called my stepmom ‘mom’ was when I became a mom myself
Encarnacion is chief of staff for the superintendent/president at Southwestern Community College District and lives in Chula Vista.My mom was only 19 when she gave birth to me. By the...

Fearlessness won out over fear of the other
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, one when I relish taking time to reflect on all that I have to be thankful for, time spent gathering with family and...

When this election ends, we will need our leaders to say no to more divisiveness
More so than any other time in my life, I feel tired — no, exhausted. The world is more polarized than ever. A man recently told me in a meeting...

Trump’s ban on diversity training is misguided. The training is neither divisive nor un-American.
Anti-racism work has been happening for decades. However, it reached a critical mass in the late spring with the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and too many more. As...

Having ‘good officers’ in a broken system hasn’t stopped overpolicing of the LGBTQ+ community
This month, Pride returned to its roots. Pride started as riots and marches, led by transgender women of color, protesting police brutality and demanding change. This Pride month, through tragedy,...

Every mom who watched that video had her heart break hearing a mom-cry for help
“He cried for his mother … and no one helped him …”These were the words of my friend’s 11-year-old son after watching the video of George Floyd being killed by...

Being a Christian in the time of COVID-19
Being a Christian in the time of COVID-19I’ll be honest, when I hear the word Christian or church the hair on the back of my neck stands up. It is...