Assistant Vice Chancellor Stephanie Reyes-Tuccio and alumna Virginia Nguyen recognized by Greater Irvine Chamber

Both were honored with a Distinguished Educator Award for their contributions to the educational process through direct student involvement or partnership

September 28, 2022

Assistant Vice Chancellor of Educational Partnerships at UCI’s Center for Educational Partnerships (CFEP) Stephanie Reyes-Tuccio and alumna Virginia Nguyen ’01, MAT+Credential ’03 were recognized with the Distinguished Educator Award by the Greater Irvine Chamber. Reyes-Tuccio was honored in the University category, while Nguyen was honored in the Secondary category.

The Distinguished Educator Award is given to an exemplary Irvine educator who has contributed to the educational process through direct student involvement or partnership activities to help shape Orange County’s future workforce.

“The Greater Irvine Chamber celebrates Irvine’s world-class education as part of what helps the city live up to its promise as a model master-planned community. The quality of education throughout the greater Irvine area helps to sustain economic vitality in the region by ensuring a 21st-century workforce,” said Bryan Starr, Greater Irvine Chamber president and CEO. “Our world-class schools, colleges, and universities are vital community partners. We commend all of our talented and committed educators and the programs they lead.”

Virginia Nguyen (left) and
Stephanie Reyes-Tuccio

Reyes-Tuccio is UCI’s first assistant vice chancellor of educational partnerships. Working with a range of regional stakeholders including K-12 schools, community colleges, and nonprofit and corporate partners, Reyes-Tuccio leads efforts to support first-generation, low-income and underrepresented students’ higher education goals. She also oversees the CFEP, which houses over 15 programs that work with over 14,000 students, nearly 3,000 teachers, and over 3,000 parents annually in more than 500 schools across Southern California.

Nguyen is a social studies teacher at Portola High School, where she also serves as equity, excellence, diversity and inclusion Irvine district mentor. She helped organize the inaugural Teaching for Justice Conference at the UCI School of Education, facilitates workshops, writes articles, and does speaking events advocating for equity and justice in education.