Sparking transformation: In her award-winning doctoral dissertation, Candace Jones, EdD ’26, explores how to bridge the gap between college mission statements and the lived reality of Black staff members. “Through my dissertation and this program, I feel like I’m doing my part to help that shift,” she says. / Photo courtesy Candace Jones
In Their Own Words: Candace Jones, EdD ’26 on Choosing a Doctorate in Education Program that Drives Real Change
A longtime college administrator, Jones was looking for a graduate opportunity that was flexible and equity-focused. She found that at SMC, where she conducted award-winning research on Black belonging in community colleges.
In Their Own Words is a series in which we introduce you to the Gaels you need to meet—students, alums, faculty, and staff—and let them tell their stories, in their own words.
Today, we’re highlighting Candace Jones, EdD ’26: a longtime college administrator and recent graduate of SMC’s Doctorate in Educational Leadership (EdD) for Equity and Social Change program. She was awarded the 2026 Outstanding Dissertation of the Year for her doctoral dissertation, which examines the disconnect between stated institutional priorities in California’s community colleges and the actual lived realities of Black staff members. Since January 2025, Jones has served as Vice President of Administrative and Business Services at Long Beach City College.
Why community college matters
I started my career supporting the University of California for about ten years, working in various administrative jobs. Now I work at Long Beach City College, which is part of the California Community College System. What I love about community college is that it’s open access. Whether it’s the traditional 18- or 19-year-old straight out of high school, or a 50-year-old who’s changing careers, going back to retool, it’s pretty amazing to have that gamut of students to connect with.
In addition, 70% of our students at Long Beach are students of color, many of whom are the first in their families to attend college. So there’s a lot of aspiration, a lot of hope, a lot of desire and dreams. As an administrator, you’re filled with all these things. You see what’s possible.
College days are here again
I graduated high school as a single mom, so right away, I had to go to college and work. I ended up working in higher education for several years. In the 2010s, I actually started a PhD program at a large California university, but I didn’t feel super connected to it for a host of reasons, so I went back to work in higher ed. About three years ago, though, I realized I wanted to finish my education.
So many people who work in higher ed pursue an EdD program because we’re doing the work on a day-to-day basis. But I wanted a program with a particular focus on equity work. I spoke with faculty at Saint Mary’s and was inspired. I met the co-chairs, Tangela Blakely Reavis and Monique Lane, and Margaret Kasimatis, and the chair of the Teacher Education and Leadership departments. These amazing women were conducting such interesting research, and all three see higher education as a vehicle for social change.
I decided on SMC because I felt the equity and social change program was aligned with what I had experienced, not only as a student, but also as an administrator. I certainly felt a sense of belonging within the program; the faculty does a phenomenal job of keeping in touch, mentoring us, and making sure we’re progressing.
They also work around your life’s needs; for three years, I worked a full-time job and flew up every other weekend to take part. But Dr. Reavis and Dr. Lane and everybody made sure it was doable.
Scrutinizing mission and seeking belonging
After 25 years in higher education, I find our mission statements don’t always align with how people feel about belonging on campus, whether that be students, faculty, or staff. I sit in lots of spaces, and I hear these really pretty speeches, and they’re well-intentioned. But the educational opportunity gaps for students of color tend to be profound, and we’ve been talking about them for decades. We don’t need to do this work to check a box; we need to do this work to change our students’ lives.
As I considered all this, thinking about my dissertation, I landed on the concept of belonging, which is increasingly researched in students and even faculty. But there’s very little scholarship centered on classified employees at colleges or universities. With Black employees specifically, they tend to be the most put-upon when it comes to mentorship, especially students of color.
Over the years, numerous studies have shown that, while Black-identified individuals make up a small fraction of those employed in higher education, they often bear the burden of all sorts of invisible labor needed to support these students. Usually, that work is uncompensated, goes unseen, and is not tied to any evaluation process at the institution. There’s a story there, I realized. So my guiding question became, “How do I ensure that their voices, as they relate to belonging, are centered yet connected to the institutional mission?”
“I came in with passion, maybe some beginning knowledge…Now, through this program and its curriculum, I’m walking out with the tools and skills necessary to make an impact—to really transform my institution.”
Takeaways from an award-winning dissertation
In my dissertation, I wrestled with the concept of anti-Blackness and how that feeds into our operational structures. Even if they’re unintentional, there are consequences we need to write more about, expose and discuss, but from a place of hope. I actually think we can do better. It just requires us to be honest, accept that these things are happening, and have good conversations about how to shift them.
I wanted to expose some disconnects between words and action, but also reimagine how to change our educational systems to benefit all of our constituents: faculty, students, and staff of all backgrounds. That change, I argue, looks like hiring more staff members of color, administrators being proactive in their responses to racism and discrimination, and using accreditation as leverage to ensure colleges live up to their mission statements.
I sit at a lot of events, listen to lots of speeches, and then see data behind the scenes that’s not shifting where I think we all want it to. I’m grateful and proud that, through my dissertation and this program, I feel like I’m doing my part to help that shift.
Taking the leap
You can’t get through this program without being pushed to really think about yourself, your career, and the decisions you’ve made through a justice lens. I came in with passion, maybe some beginning knowledge. But the truth is, you can have passion for the equity work and still not make any impact. Now, through this program and its curriculum, I’m walking out with the tools and skills necessary to make an impact—to really transform my institution.
There’s no reason to delay your decision if you want to pursue a doctoral program at Saint Mary’s. The faculty are top-notch and leaders in this country. The environment they create is humanizing, compassionate, understanding, and flexible. Those are things that not all programs have.
So I’d say, look no further, whether you’re in K–12 or higher education. Apply today, and then go change the world.
Anne Williston, MFA ’27 is a Graduate Editorial Fellow with the Office of Marketing and Communications and an educator.
