The faculty union for instructors at the State Center Community College District filed an ethics complaint in June after learning that a close, personal friend — and possible goddaughter — of Chancellor Carole Goldsmith received a contract from the district without disclosing their relationship.

In March, the district’s board of trustees approved two mediation contracts totaling $161,000 to Ashlee Hernandez of San Luis Obispo, whom Goldsmith frequently referred to as “goddaughter” on social media and online.

Just over $32,000 has been paid as of March 11, according to the district board’s website.

What’s more, Hernandez does not have experience negotiating contractual issues between educational organizations, said Keith Ford, president of State Center Federation of Teachers.

Hernandez was selected by the district administration to lead mediation between the Madera Community College faculty and its administration, Ford said.

Goldsmith’s biography on the Fresno Rainbow Pride website names Hernandez as goddaughter immediately after naming her two adult children.

Board President Danielle Parra and trustees Nasreen Johnson and Austin Ewell, who approved both mediation contracts, declined to comment and referred GV Wire to the district. Other trustees did not respond to phone calls. Hernandez did not respond to multiple emails.

District spokesperson Jill Wagner told GV Wire that Goldsmith is not Hernandez’s official godmother.

Wagner said the administration chose the mediators because of the work they previously did to counsel Fresno City College students.

“There is no familial relationship between the Chancellor and Ashlee Hernandez,” Wagner said in an email to GV Wire. “Past social media posts identify Ms. Hernandez as a ‘goddaughter,’ a term used informally and not indicative of any legal or familial tie.”

Wagner added that Goldsmith was not involved in the contract. Rather, it was overseen by Deputy Chancellor Andy Dunn.

Ford, however, said the district should have gotten a contractor with experience mediating between academic bodies. Goldsmith’s and Hernandez’s relationship also should have been disclosed, he said — whether Hernandez is an actual goddaughter or simply a close friend.

The first district policy for independent contractors requires that “the contractor is free from the control and direction of the District in connection with the performance of the work.”

Ford said given the long relationship between Goldsmith and Hernandez, that would not be possible.

“Carole has openly claimed her as her goddaughter for years, and Ashlee has listed her as godmother as well, it doesn’t seem performative to us …” Ford said. “Any outside contractor who is hired to do any kind of work for the district, there should be a reasonable expectation that they are not in any way influenced by the district.”

Faculty Excluded From Learning Discussions: Howden

The Madera academic senate requested mediation after that body gave Madera College President Angel Reyna a vote of “no confidence” in 2024, said Lynette Cortes Howden, outgoing president of the organization. The dispute stemmed from the implementation of a new education initiative called “competency-based education.”

The goal for competency-based education is to reduce the number of hours students spend in classrooms, relying instead on assessments to see that students know the material. Madera ultimately canceled its competency-based business administration program. Clovis Community College and Reedley Community College are getting ready to launch their competency-based education programs.

The problem for Madera faculty was that when the college applied for the state grant funding competency-based education, instructors were not involved, Howden said. Agreements between the administration and instructors mandate faculty be involved in learning decisions.

As teachers developed curriculums and tests, they ran into roadblocks, she said. At the same time, an administrator tried to create his own curriculum standards.

Eventually, faculty wanted to end the program. Initially, Reyna agreed but later changed his mind, insisting the program be finished and the grant maintained, Howden said.

When Reyna told instructors he didn’t have the authority to make some decisions, the academic senate requested that Goldsmith be brought into the conversation.

That didn’t happen, Howden said, and because of that, the academic senate approved a resolution claiming “no confidence” against Reyna. They would soon after request mediation.

“We really felt it was a failure on the process, and that’s why we asked for mediation on the problem,” Howden said.

Not Asking for Their Own Mediators a ‘Mistake’: Howden

Trustees agreed on the district’s mediation plan in December 2024, and the academic senate received a list of four people chosen to run the process, Howden said. Senate leadership was never asked for input and didn’t question the district’s choices, she added. She said she didn’t know at the time she could request specific people.

“That was probably a mistake on my part,” Howden said. “I also fully admit that my discipline expertise is in mathematics.”

Howden said she didn’t learn about Hernandez and Goldsmith’s relationship until after well into preliminary meetings establishing how mediation would occur. A colleague told her about the connection after an anonymous group of whistleblowers called the “SCCCD Insiders” published a blog about Hernandez and Goldsmith.

The group posted many social media images and posts they claim come from Goldsmith’s Facebook.

Howden emailed Hernandez twice about the matter, first asking if there was any familial relationship, then clarifying to ask if there was a godmother-goddaughter one.

Hernandez told Howden she was neither a relative nor a goddaughter. Howden said regardless, a close relationship should have been disclosed.

“I would have appreciated that kind of response from Dr. Goldsmith or the district at any point in time, because to this day, they have yet to address this,” Howden said.

District Says Mediation Over. Academic Senate Says Otherwise

Before finding out about the relationship between Hernandez and Goldsmith, Howden said the negotiations were “one-sided.” Hernandez led the process and asked senate leadership to approve resolutions without going to the faculty.

“They wanted us to do a resolution for the entire faculty body but not consult the entire faculty body because everything was supposed to be confidential,” Howden said.

Mediators also wanted the Senate to pass resolutions but weren’t asking the same of trustees, Howden said.

Because some of what mediators wanted involved working conditions and contractual matters, Howden sought the union’s help in negotiations.

Wagner said mediation ended after the union objected and the senate walked away. Wagner said the process was limited to the academic senate and campus administration.

But what mediators wanted would have been legally binding, and the senate sought union help because the group doesn’t have legal counsel like the union does, Howden said.

“We made it very clear that we were not walking away from mediation,” Howden said.

Lead Mediator Hernandez Not Experienced in Academic Mediation: Ford

Hernandez graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2021 with a master’s in counseling, according to her LinkedIn. She earned her bachelor’s there in sociology. More recently, she was appointed Paso Robles’ new homeless services manager, according to the Paso Robles Daily News.

Wagner said Hernandez is a state-certified sexual assault and domestic violence counselor and conflict mediator with an emphasis on restorative justice. She said the team’s experience in trauma-informed care and conflict mediation aligned with the needs between the senate and administration.

“Her work is grounded in neutrality, professionalism, and respect for all parties involved. She has consistently delivered services aligned with the scope of work, and her contributions have supported the District’s efforts to foster constructive dialogue and organizational health,” Wagner said in an email.

Ford said a lead mediator needs to have experience understanding contracts and organizations. The union suggested another negotiator that the senate leadership liked but the college did not.

“A background in trauma-informed care is not what is required for negotiating between an academic senate, a faculty body, and an administrative body, you would hopefully want somebody with Title V knowledge,” Ford said, referring to education code that dictates community college standards.

Union President Keith Ford’s Address to SCCCD Board of Trustees