Celeste R. Townsend

President/CEO

Celeste Townsend is an enrolled citizen of the Guidutikad numu Fort Bidwell Indian Community located in Fort Bidwell, California, and a descendent of the Shoshone-Paiute tribe of the Duck Valley Indian Reservation in Owyhee, Nevada. She adds over 30 years’ experience in Indian education to her role at California Indian Nations College (CINC). President Townsend obtained both her Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in Business and Management (concentrating in Finance) and her Master of Business Administration from the University of Redlands in Redlands, California. President Townsend recently began a doctoral program at the University California San Diego in educational leadership, aiming to graduate in 2025.
Background
March 2015, Ms. Townsend was invited to round table discussions giving focus to concerns on mainstream educational systems, inequitable access, and substandard support for American Indian students. These discussions soon channeled towards the establishment of a tribal college in the state of California. After a few short months, visionary and founder of this committee (and soon-to-be college), Mrs. Theresa Mike, requested Ms. Townsend lead the discussions to what later became known as the CINC Strategic Planning Committee. It was Fall 2017, when the Mrs. Mike and Ms. Townsend presented a drafted charter to the Tribal Council of the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Missions Indians. This led to the official induction of California Indian Nations College; the charter was signed on September 19, 2017.
With this, the Tribal Council immediately proposed a multimillion-dollar award to launch the college; and without delay, the Tribal Council established the initial Board of Trustees and hired Ms. Townsend as the Interim President. Leading a team of four, this administrative team began to configure its foundation, partnerships for location, and immediate course offerings. The partnership with the University California Riverside Extension Center enabled CINC to immediately begin course offering in the Fall of 2018.
With a successful launch, and solid enrollments, the CINC Board of Trustees hired Townsend as the inaugural President & CEO of California Indian Nations College. President Townsend is honored and humbled to lead a resilient team of leaders and growing leaders at California Indian Nations College. She is proud of the personalized services, the rigorous and high quality of education, and the opportunities CINC provides. But even more, President Townsend is truly proud of the CINC students and promotes the value of their voice aiming to become educated, strengthened, and empowered leaders of their tribal and local communities.