Desirée Portillo Rabinov

Desirée Portillo Rabinov was elected as a College Board Trustee in March 2020. Ms. Portillo Rabinov has worked as a Senior Transportation Planning Manager for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority with thirty years of experience. She was a lead manager in multiple capacities. In her last position, she managed the Transit-Oriented Development Planning Grant Program overseeing a $25 million budget for cities to develop transit-supportive regulatory documents. Additionally, she was responsible for implementing the Active Transportation bicycle web-reservation system and performing data collection training.

She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration in pre-law from Cal State University Los Angeles. She also holds planning certificates from UCLA in CEQA and NEPA environmental clearance regulatory and transportation and Transit-Oriented Development in land use planning and women in governance. Desiree began her higher education at Rio Hondo Community College, where she received her AA degree before transferring to CSULA.

She brings over 28 years in the community and civic service. Currently, she serves as a Councilmember on the Crescenta Valley Town Council since 2014. She is the State Co-chair for the Trust for Public Land and immediate past President/Co-Founder of the National Women’s Political Caucus, Los Angeles Metro Chapter. In her volunteer capacity, she is currently the VP of Programs for the Soroptimist Int’l of Glendale. Early in her career, she co-founded Project Amiga in 1994, a vocational school providing life skills, computer training, and GED and job preparation for disadvantaged communities. She also served as the National President of Comision Femenil Mexicana Nacional to offer scholarships to disadvantaged Latina students and housing for at-risk emancipated women. She has received several awards for the advancement of women in non-traditional careers, particularly the Women of the Year award from YWCA for her community service to the San Gabriel Valley.