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Announcing the 2026 RP Group Award Recipients

The RP Group Awards

The RP Group Awards recognize the diverse and meaningful contributions of institutional research, planning, and effectiveness (IRPE) professionals across the California Community Colleges (CCC) system.

The RP Group’s Board of Directors and staff are thrilled to announce the recipients of the 2026 awards, who will be honored in a ceremony on April 15 at RP Conference 2026, the largest gathering of IRPE professionals in the CCC system.

Please join us in congratulating this year's award recipients! Read more about their exceptional contributions to the IRPE field by clicking on each recipient name below.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Dr. Fred Trapp.

Dr. Fred Trapp

Consultant: Senior Associate, Cambridge West Partnership; and Former Dean, Institutional Research/Academic Services, Long Beach City College

EDI (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) Champion Award

Katie Cabral.

Katie Cabral

Research & Planning Analyst, Cuyamaca College

Dr. Saleem Gilmore.

Dr. Saleem Gilmore

Director, Student Equity and Success, Chabot College

Leadership Star Award

Oleg Bespalov.

Oleg Bespalov

Dean of Institutional Effectiveness, Moorpark College

Sabrina Sencil.

Sabrina Sencil

Dean, Institutional Effectiveness, Research & Planning, Cosumnes River College

Rising Star Award

Jason Makabali.

Jason Makabali

Senior Research Analyst, North Orange Continuing Education

Outstanding Project Award

Golden West College.

Golden West College

Project Title:

How to Quiet the Continuous Cycle of Complaints to Amplify a Continuous Cycle of Improvement

Led by Team Members:

Dr. Lauren Sosenko, Dean of IR/Community of Practice Co-Lead;
Jeannette Jaramillo, Academic Success Coordinator/DEIA Tri-Chair/ISEP Co-Lead;
Dr. Erin Craig, Center for Innovation and Learning Coordinator/Math Professor/Community of Practice Co-Lead; and
Sacha Moore, Director, HSI Title V/STEM Grant and Professor of English