Meet Steve Gibson
Dr. Steve Gibson has spent his career expanding opportunity and delivering results for our community. As President of the Pasadena City College Board of Trustees, Steve has championed student success, expanded access and opportunity, strengthened community engagement, and helped lead generational investments into PCC’s future.
Steve’s roots in Pasadena City College run deep. As a former PCC student, he experienced firsthand the transformative role community colleges can play in creating opportunity and helping all people achieve their goals.
In 2022, he ran for the PCC Board because he saw public education under attack and believed PCC could do more than simply protect what it had built: it could dream bigger and deliver for every student who walks through its doors.
As a Trustee, Steve has worked alongside PCC’s faculty, staff, administrators, and students to build on that vision. During his first term, student enrollment surpassed pre-pandemic benchmarks. He has been a strong supporter of the PCC-PUSD partnership at John Muir High School, which earned the California Exemplary Dual Enrollment Award in 2026 for its success. Today, PCC ranks first in transfer to the UC and CSU systems.
Steve’s commitment to our community is also deeply personal. A longtime Altadena resident, he lost his home, along with too many of our neighbors, in the Eaton Fire. As he and his wife, Charlotte, have worked to rebuild, Steve has also worked to ensure PCC is there for our Dena.
In the immediate aftermath of the fire, Steve supported the opening of an initial disaster recovery center at PCC’s Foothill campus and helped establish the College’s critical distribution hub. Since then, he has worked to expand PCC’s support for Altadena—from investing in local organizations doing essential work to establishing a new summer construction trades program.
Under Steve’s leadership, PCC has supported more than 400 fire-impacted local businesses and administered more than $1 million in grants to those in need. He has worked to make sure the College is not only an educational institution, but a partner in our community’s recovery and rebuilding.
Steve has also made it a priority to responsibly protect taxpayer dollars to ensure resources are responsibly used to benefit students. During his tenure, the College has maintained clean financial audits and continued to protect student-serving resources amid federal attacks on higher education and funding cuts. At the same time, he has championed investments that will strengthen the campus for generations, including the revitalization of historic Sexson Auditorium and the transformation of PCC’s iconic mirror pools into a student-centered space.
Steve has also led on sustainability. On the Board, he introduced and championed a policy to decarbonize Pasadena City College and help ensure the College follows through on its commitment to a greener future. He has worked alongside students, advocates, faculty, and community members to help make PCC more environmentally conscious.
Now, Steve is running for re-election to continue making sure every student has the opportunity to succeed and PCC remains a strong and responsive partner to the community it serves.
Education
Graduate of Pasadena City College, Associate of Arts in Communications (2010)
Bachelors of Science and Masters of Science in Communications (2012/2014)
PhD in Education (2019)
Publications
Gibson, S. & Ilando, A. L. (Eds.) (2015). Impact of Communication and the Media on Ethnic Conflict. Hersey, PA: IGI Global
Gibson, S. & Gavel-Briggs, M. (2013). The Listening Way: Building bridges through engaged listening. Listening Education 5(1).
Gibson, S. (2016). Asante's Gullah Journey (The Library of Souls). Protected Books.
In the Community
Founding board member of Latinos for America
Member of Pasadena NAACP
Board member of Black Elected Officials of California (BEO)
Board member of Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance-LA (APALA-LA)
American Friends Service Committee, LA Program Director
Bernie Sanders Campaign 2020, Regional Field Director
Jesse Jackson Campaign, 1988