Sabrina Sencil

Sabrina Sencil started her career in higher education as a graduate student intern for MiraCosta College’s Student Services division in 2006. Her experience in the institutional research, planning, and effectiveness (IRPE) field spans more than 18 years at three of California’s public higher education institutions: UC Davis, San Joaquin Delta College, and Cosumnes River College. Sabrina currently serves as the Dean of Institutional Effectiveness, Research and Planning at Cosumnes River College (CRC), where she oversees professional development, institutional research, college planning, accreditation, and distance education.

She attributes her leadership approach to her mother, who taught her that a closed hand cannot hold on to or give any blessings, but an open hand can give and receive even more. Sabrina describes her leadership style as people-centered and data-informed, prioritizing the voices of those most impacted by decisions while maintaining a big-picture perspective. She views her achievements as shared outcomes that belong to the team, colleagues, and students they serve. Her approach reflects a deep commitment to leveraging analytical expertise and institutional knowledge to help colleges design strategic, equity-minded interventions that close persistent gaps in access, support, and student success. She firmly believes one of the most consequential contributions IRPE professionals make is transforming evidence into action and ensuring that data become a catalyst for equity, not just a measure of it.

Sabrina joined Cosumnes River College in 2015 as a Research Analyst. In this role, she worked tirelessly with her research team to change the campus culture around data—building relationships and trust in data across the campus community. Since being promoted to Dean of Institutional Effectiveness, Research and Planning in 2019, Sabrina has led or been an integral part of the leadership for numerous campuswide plans, including CRC’s strategic plan, the college mission, and student equity plans. In summer 2022, she also became the college’s Accreditation Liaison Officer. She has also guided and transformed the college’s vision on professional development, including the implementation of the college’s 2023 Institutional Effectiveness and Partnership Initiative Grant that prioritized faculty equity-minded professional learning with the intention of improving equitable course success.

Sabrina’s leadership has also strengthened institutional effectiveness across the California Community Colleges system. As a Board member of The RP Group, she served with distinction, representing IRPE practitioners on the Student Equity and Achievement Advisory Committee at the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO). As the inaugural chair of the Statewide Representatives Committee, Sabrina launched The RP Group’s efforts to organize the selection and support processes for representatives of the IRPE community on statewide committees and to make these processes more transparent within and outside the organization. Sabrina’s contributions advanced systemwide clarity, alignment, and bidirectional accountability between the CCCCO, colleges, and research community, ensuring colleges are better equipped to design evidence-based, equity-driven strategies that improve outcomes for disproportionately impacted students.

Sabrina completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in international relations from UC Davis, and a Master of Arts degree in higher education leadership from the University of San Diego. In 2018, she completed the California Educational Policy Fellowship Program with the Institute for Educational Leadership. Sabrina is a daughter, wife, and mother of three. When not on campus, Sabrina spends her time enjoying adventures with her family and watching her children on the court, field, and stage.