Mount Tamalpais College

06/02/2026

As the daughter of an MTC alumnus, Alyssa Tamboura has seen firsthand how higher education in prison can shape lives far beyond the classroom.

In her remarks at Together We Climb, Alyssa reflected on the ripple effects of higher education sin prison and the importance of investing in MTC’s work: “The hope and belief that good things are possible can weave itself into the generational fabric of families.”

Help expand what’s possible by supporting MTC’s rigorous, tuition-free higher education at San Quentin: https://give.mttamcollege.edu/campaign/781953/donate?c_src=Social

05/26/2026

Thank you to the San Francisco Examiner and Drew Altizer Photography for spotlighting Mount Tamalpais College’s 30th Anniversary Gala.

“For many, it was a reunion — teachers and former students, classmates who had not seen one another since their time inside San Quentin, now gathering in a San Francisco event space to mark 30 years of the institution’s life-changing mission.”

We’re grateful to everyone who has joined us in celebrating three decades of teaching, learning, and transformation at San Quentin.

Read the full SF Examiner feature: https://www.sfexaminer.com/photo_galleries/drew-altizer/mount-tamalpais-college-turns-30-with-night-of-reunion-reflection/article_4e2f764b-85fb-4c19-b905-20aa4af2d634.html

Learn about Mount Tamalpais College's 30th Anniversary Gala, where alum Alyssa Tamboura shared her inspiring story of her father's education while in San Quentin, highlighting the transformative work of the nation's only accredited liberal arts college for incarcerated students.

05/20/2026

Mount Tamalpais College alumnus Forrest Jones has reached another milestone in his educational journey: earning a master’s degree in social work from California State University, East Bay.

CBS News recently profiled Forrest, who became the first CSU East Bay Project Rebound graduate in 2023. This spring, at 62, he crossed the stage again.

Today, Forrest remains active in the MTC community and continues to return to San Quentin to speak with current students — and he is already looking ahead to a doctorate.

Read the full story: https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/cal-state-east-bay-project-rebound-grows-first-grad-masters/

When Forrest Jones earned his bachelor's degree three years ago, he was one of only two Project Rebound graduates at Cal State East Bay. This year, the program had 85 students, including 20 graduates.

05/18/2026

Take a look back at Together We Climb, Mount Tamalpais College's unforgettable 30th Anniversary Gala.

With MTC faculty member Omair Akhtar as Master of Ceremonies, the event marked a milestone moment for the College and celebrated the community that has shaped its work across three decades.

Explore the full event highlights, including photos, speech videos, press coverage and more: mttamcollege.edu/gala

05/13/2026

Mount Tamalpais College is delighted to welcome Stephany D. Baker as our new Chief Operating Officer.

Stephany brings more than 25 years of experience in organizational leadership, strategy and culture development across higher education and nonprofit settings, including most recently at Stanford University. At MTC, she is helping strengthen the systems, teams and operations that help bring the College’s mission to life.

“Joining Mount Tamalpais College wasn’t a career decision, it was a calling,” Stephany shared.

Read the full story: https://www.mttamcollege.edu/stephany-baker-chief-operating-officer/

04/30/2026

Premiering at Mount Tamalpais College’s 30th Anniversary Gala, the short film “More Than a Degree” features the voices of students, alumni, faculty and staff, reflecting on three decades of the College at San Quentin.

Their insights reveal the profound — and often unexpected — impact of rigorous, in-person higher education in prison, and point to what is possible as MTC looks toward the future.

Watch the film and invest in MTC’s future: https://www.mttamcollege.edu/gala

04/21/2026

One remarkable night, 30 years in the making.

On Saturday, April 18, the Mount Tamalpais College community gathered at The Conservatory at One Sansome in San Francisco to celebrate three decades of teaching, learning, and transformation at San Quentin.

From alumni and volunteer faculty to staff, donors, and partners, the gathering reflected the depth and reach of MTC’s community. For many, it was also a rare and meaningful reunion, demonstrating the long arc of impact that MTC has helped create over the past 30 years.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this celebration so special. We are especially grateful to our Honorary Committee and Event Sponsors, whose guidance and generosity made the celebration possible.

As MTC enters its next chapter, the College remains focused on expanding access to high-quality higher education and strengthening the student and alumni support systems that sustain long-term transformation.

Make a gift to support the College’s future: give.mttamcollege.edu/gala

04/03/2026

Sarah Manley, MTC’s Humanities and Social Sciences Program Director, has published a new article in Disability Studies Quarterly.

In “Contemplated Madness,” Sarah examines the narrative functions of dementia in Lily Brooks-Dalton’s book Good Morning, Midnight to explore how literature can expand the way we understand memory, identity, and care—not only through loss, but through unexpected forms of connection.

Explore the full article: https://dsq-sds.org/article/id/6366/

04/02/2026

Dr. Ellen Dooley, a former MTC faculty member and a current social science instructional leader at Milken Community School in Los Angeles, has received a major national education honor for her work to prepare future leaders.

Ellen was recently named one of 30 recipients of the 2025–26 Milken Educator Awards and one of just two California honorees this school year.

Learn more about Ellen, her work, and her passion for equity in education in this CBS LA interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnNmseeYY2U

The latest Milken Educator Award was presented to Dr. Ellen Dooley, a middle and high school teacher at Milken Community School in Bel Air. For video licensi...

03/24/2026

What does it mean to teach a communication course at a college where students have profoundly limited access to media?

That question runs through our latest Faculty Spotlight on Omair Akhtar, PhD, a volunteer faculty member whose career path includes doctoral study at Stanford University, consumer research at Apple, and now leading Member Consumer Insights at Netflix. At MTC, Omair is helping incarcerated students sharpen their voices, think critically about media influence, and take ownership of how their stories are told.

We’re also excited to announce that Omair will serve as emcee for Mount Tamalpais College’s upcoming 30th Anniversary Gala on April 18.

Read more about Omair’s path to MTC and how he views education as freedom: https://www.mttamcollege.edu/faculty-spotlight-omair-akhtar/