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Benjamin Green

As SWC Foundation president, Benjamin Green has sat on the rear of the stage and watched thousands of students earn their degrees and certificates.

Now it is his turn to be down front.

Green is this year’s recipient of an honorary degree from the college for his devotion to the community and leadership of the SWC Educational Foundation. Honorary degrees are the college’s highest award to members of the community.

A Chula Vista native, Green graduated from Hilltop High School and earned a B.S. in business administration from UC Berkeley. Dissatisfied with working in the insurance industry, Green said he decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a lawyer.

Balancing night classes and a full-time job, he graduated from USD Law School, specializing in tax law.

Green now works with his father, Michael A. Green, for Green & Green LLP.

A family tradition of community involvement started by his father, Green said, led him to the board of directors of the Borderview YMCA and the SWC Foundation.

Patricia Flores-Charter, president of the Academic Senate and member of the honorary degree committee, said Green stood out from other candidates because of his great contributions.

“He was selected for the depth and breadth of his involvement, both with the college and the community,” she said. “We felt he had a real connection with students here at the college.”

Green said he was humbled to learn he had been selected.

“I found out about a week ago and I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “I’m very honored and grateful to everyone who made it happened.”

Linda Gilstrap, dean of the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and executive director of the SWC Foundation, said she has had the pleasure to work closely with Green through the Foundation and is happy the college acknowledged the great work he has done for the school.

“Ben is an incredible community leader with a great sense of civic responsibility,” she said. “He always wants to leave things better than he found them and make a difference for our students.”

Green has served on the board of the SWC Foundation since 2009 and has been president since 2011.

“The opportunity just came to me,” he said. “They were expanding the board and I saw they needed help and saw it as a chance to give back. I’ve been really lucky to work with board members that follow through and actually do things for the school.”

Through the Foundation Green has helped raise funds for hundreds of scholarships and academic programs at SWC.

“The most rewarding thing for me is when I get a chance to meet the students,” Green said. “It’s great seeing my work have a positive impact.”