Board of Trustees Vice President

Desirée Portillo Rabinov

Desirée Portillo Rabinov was first elected to the Glendale Community College Board of Trustees in 2020 and serves area 1. She is a retired Senior Transportation Planning Manager with over three decades of service at the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, where her final assignment involved managing projects, including the $25 million Transit-Oriented Development Planning Grant Program. She now runs her own consulting business, Rabinov Enterprise, as a part-time strategic transportation planning consultant.

An active civic leader, Ms. Portillo Rabinov was elected to the Glendale Community College Board of Trustees in 2020 and served as Board President during 2024-25, championing a new facilities bond, DEI initiatives, and the first combined staff-and-faculty institute day. She previously served for seven years on the Crescenta Valley Town Council, improving local public streets, transit studies, and infrastructure.

She co-founded Project Amiga in 1996, which provided education and job training for disadvantaged communities. She has led numerous organizations, including serving as President of Soroptimist Intl. of Glendale and the Comisión Femenil Mexicana Nacional. She has also co-founded and served as President of the National Women’s Political Caucus LA Metro chapter three times. She was also the Co-chair for the California Trust for Public Land Advisory Board. Recognized with multiple awards for advancing women in leadership and non-traditional careers, she holds a B.S. in Business Administration with a pre-law minor from Cal State University, LA, and urban planning certificates from UCLA.

Ms. Portillo Rabinov’s present term is April 2024 – June 2028.