Board of Trustees
Current Trustees
Hilda ZacaríasPresident of the Board, Hilda Zacarías was elected for a four-year term in November 2012 to represent Area 1, which includes northern Santa Maria. She is a local certified public accountant and organizational management consultant. She was recognized as one of 75 Distinguished Alumni during the 75th anniversary of Allan Hancock College and received the Distinguished Service Award from Cal Poly State University. In 1993, she was the youngest person appointed and then elected to the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District Board of Trustees, serving five years. Ms. Zacarías was elected in 2006 to the Santa Maria City Council and in 2010 was the Democratic nominee for the State Assembly. Ms. Zacarías completed her general education at Allan Hancock College, graduated with an accounting degree from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and received a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School in 2006, which she attended as a Presidential Scholar Fellow. In addition to her now part-time work as a CPA, she is the Executive Director of Community Partners in Caring, a Volunteer Caregiving Organization, providing support to aging adults and those living with mild disabilities throughout Santa Barbara County (www.partnersincaring.org).
Vice President of the Board, Dr. Suzanne Levy, representative for the south Santa Maria and Orcutt, was elected to a four-year term in November 2020. Levy spent 13 years (1990-2003) at Hancock as a professor of computer science before moving on to work as a program manager for Brandman University from 2003-2005 and as a Continuing Medical Education Specialist and Training Specialist for Dignity Health from 2012-2018. She is currently retired. Levy has held positions on the boards of numerous community organizations, including serving on the Board of Directors for PCPA, the North County Women’s Fund, and the Santa Maria Valley Discovery Children’s Museum. Levy also served as the coordinator for the North County Math Superbowl and as a member of Hancock’s Math Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) Committee. Levy was named “Woman of the Year” for Santa Barbara County District 5 in 2001. Levy earned a bachelor’s degree in teaching mathematics from the University of Illinois, a master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), and a doctorate in education from Fielding Graduate University.
Greg Pensa, was elected in November 2010. He represents Area 5, which includes the Santa Ynez Valley, northern Lompoc Valley, and east Santa Maria. Mr. Pensa earned an associate degree in business management from Allan Hancock College and a bachelor's degree in telecommunications & film from San Diego State University. Pensa retired after working in petroleum marketing for 37 years. Pensa is past president of the Valley Foundation, Solvang Friendship House, Santa Barbara County School Boards Association, Buellton Business Association, and the Rotary Club of the Santa Ynez Valley, where he has enjoyed over a 40+ year membership and is a recipient of the Rotary Paul Harris Fellow. Additionally, he is a founding member and former treasurer of the Indigenous Development Coordinators (IDC) Foundation, a philanthropic organization working with the needy in the Philippines, as well as, past president and a founding member of the Valley Haven Senior Day Care Center. Pensa was selected by the Santa Ynez Valley Foundation as the “Man of the Year” for 2013. His past educational service includes serving on the Allan Hancock College Foundation Board from 2001-2010, a trustee for the Solvang School District from 1988-1998, and a member of the State Board of Trustees (CCCT) since 2018. Pensa is also known as the “radio voice” of Santa Ynez Valley High School “Pirate Football” since 1983.
Ms. Alejandra Enciso was appointed on June 15, 2021, and then elected for a four-year term in November 2022. Ms. Enciso currently works as the program manager for 211 Santa Barbara County, the local health and human services hotline, and is the co-owner of Revolution Choreography in Santa Maria. Enciso served as a board member for the Future Leaders of America (FLA) and is currently serving on the board for Danza Azteca Coaxochitl. Enciso was born in Santa Maria and raised in Guadalupe. She is a first-generation Latinx-American and a first-generation college graduate. Enciso graduated from Allan Hancock College with an associate degree in liberal arts and received a bachelor's degree in fine arts from California State University, Northridge (CSUN). Enciso’s lifelong goal is to educate others about her culture and advocate for equality and justice.
Ken Ostini was elected to the Allan Hancock College Board of Trustees in November of 2024, representing Area 4. Mr. Ostini spent over 28 years serving as the Chief of the Recreation Services Division, retiring in 2001 as Chief of the Airman and Family Services Flight at Vandenberg Air Force Base. In 2011, Ken became the President/CEO of the Lompoc Valley Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau, retiring in 2016. He served for 10 years on the Lompoc Parks and Recreation Commission, 15 years as a trustee on the Lompoc Unified School District Board of Education, and seven years as a member of the Allan Hancock College Foundation Board. Currently, Mr. Ostini serves on the Santa Barbara County Veteran’s Stand Down Committee and the Good Samaritan Shelter for the Lompoc area. He serves as president for both the Lompoc Cemetery District and the Lompoc Valley Historical Society, and vice-president of the Lompoc High School Alumni Association. Ken graduated from Allan Hancock College in 1970, followed by three years of service in the U.S. Army. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Recreation Administration from California State University, Long Beach in 1976.
Ora ShrecengostOra Shrecengost is serving as the Associated Student Body Government (ASBG) student trustee for the 2024/2025 academic year. Ora has studied human services and addiction studies; she is a psychology for transfer student and will be attending Southern New Hampshire University. Previously, she served as Director of Student Advocacy and Director of Campus Environment. Ora is the student representative on the Facilities Council, Student Services Council, and Auxiliary Programs Corporation Board of Directors. Ora is filled with gratitude and humbled with the opportunity to serve the Hancock community and advocate for her fellow students on campus.