A message from Leslie

I grew up here in Modesto, going to Sherwood, Somerset, and Beyer High before heading to MJC for two years and then transferring out of state to earn a B.A. & M.A.  in English literature at Clemson University.  I returned to Modesto in 1991 to raise our kids near my family when my husband was offered a position on MJC’s English faculty.

Our roots go deep here. Three generations of my family have attended MJC.  My Dad was the first in his Italian immigrant family to attend college, and went on to become a civil engineer.  My siblings, my sons and many relatives are also proud MJC alumni.

I took my first lifeguarding class at the age of 14 in the MJC pool.  Our kids spent hour after hour running around the MJC track as members of the Modesto Thunderbolts track team.  And while my husband has taught thousands of college students over the years, I’ve actively supported improving education in our community through volunteer roles at local, regional, and state levels, while occasionally teaching part-time.

It’s because of my respect and love for MJC that I decided to run for the Board of Trustees in 2016, when I started to see clear indications that MJC’s leadership was trying to stifle free speech rather than embrace it — for example, making national headlines for stopping a student from handing out U.S. Constitutions on Constitution Day in 2013.  

I ran to “Make Free Speech Free Again” and won with over 80% of the vote.

During my first term, I resisted repeated attempts by the prior administration to tightly control the information available to trustees and to prevent me from holding casual gatherings open to students, staff,  faculty and community members.   I’m convinced that trustees make more informed decisions when they listen to, and consider the perspectives of, a broad range of stakeholders.

I helped write the district's landmark Due Process Policy, helped craft the Board's Strategic Priorities -- which include respecting all forms of diversity -- and revised the Board's Resolution on Racism to help soothe instead of divide during these troubled times.

Rather than emphasizing factions, I bring people together. I have an established record of working collegially with constituent group leaders, my peers and Chancellor Henry Yong, and was selected by my colleagues as Vice Chair & Chair to help guide the board, and the district, through a difficult time.  

As a leader on the board, I have been a force for mutual respect and reconciliation and have been able to embed these values in the Board's Strategic Priorities, with the goal of "creating a positive educational environment . . . utilizing principles that are guided by due process, open discourse, academic freedom, and viewpoint diversity."

We college trustees serve in nonpartisan positions and are accountable to the community at large, and so my focus has and will remain on student learning — rooted in the free and open exchange of ideas — and strong fiscal stewardship.  

If re-elected, I’ll work diligently to cement the hard-won achievements of my first term, prioritizing academics & job skills, fiscal stability, and championing free speech and civil discourse.  I want our district to avoid partisan politicking and live up to its promise of welcoming all and serving all, meeting the needs of our students as unique individuals and doing everything we can to help them achieve their academic and career goals.

I would be deeply grateful for your vote!

~Leslie Beggs