Westlake resident and CSUCI prof named Educator of the Year

‘Innovative,’
‘passionate’ teacher, supporters say


Maria Ballesteros-Sola

Maria Ballesteros-Sola

Westlake Village resident Maria Ballesteros-Sola, assistant professor of management at Cal State Channel Islands, earned Educator of the Year honors from the Western Ventura County Business Alliance during the City of Camarillo’s 54th annual Top 10 Community Awards.

At the Nov. 5 awards gala, students, faculty, administrators, and community partners described the 51-year-old Ballesteros-Sola as an innovative, dedicated, and passionate educator. She has taught a variety of courses across the university’s general education and core business curriculum and is known for infusing her classes with a mix of teaching tools and practices that make a deep impression on her students.

“Dr. Ballesteros-Sola uses innovative teaching methods, publishes her research extensively, and is deeply committed to supporting her students and the local business community,” said Susan Andrzejewski, dean of the Martin V. Smith School of Business and Economics at CSUCI.

“Her work with Benefit Corporations and B-Corps (companies that use business as a force for social good), is but one example of how her teaching extends far beyond the classroom to positively enhance . . . her students’ lives as well as the broader business and nonprofit community,” Andrzejewski said.

One recent example was a course that would have taken CSUCI students to Spain to work directly with social enterprise organizations headquartered in that country. Due to the pandemic, the course had to be completed virtually, but Ballesteros-Sola hopes to make the trip with her students in the future. She has also developed course collaborations with a university in Tijuana, encouraged students to connect with local nonprofit organizations and businesses, and involved students in research.

Several years ago, student Loretta Davidson heard Ballesteros Sola give a presentation about responsible business at a local library. Davidson was in her 60s, but she was so moved by the talk that she decided to apply to CSUCI to earn a degree in environmental science and resource management with a minor in social business.

Davidson and Ballesteros-Sola have worked together on projects for social enterprises such as Growing Works and have published a peer-reviewed paper together.

“I was drawn to this school by professor Ballesteros-Sola,” said Davidson, who plans on graduating next summer and perhaps starting her own social business dedicated to restoring water bodies. “She is a conscientious, considerate and thoughtful instructor who is committed to teaching students her field and giving them a different outlook on business.”

Ballesteros-Sola said she felt all teachers deserve the award.

“I feel the need to share this award with all the other educators in the county, from pre-K through higher education,” she said. “All educators have been put to the test with the stress of the pandemic, along with the students’ parents. We’ve had to pivot to online learning and to helping our students not only with their education, but with dealing with the challenges brought on by the pandemic.”

Outside of the classroom, Ballesteros Sola routinely connects with the business community to help entrepreneurs move toward becoming a certified B-Corp and shares her experience and expertise in the field through panel discussions and community lectures at the Camarillo Public Library and CSUCI.

She is one of the founding members of B-Academics, which brings educators from across the globe together to advance the scholarly and educational dialogue around socially responsible business practices.

Her work to understand how the current consumer market- place is evolving in response to consumer and corporate demands for more socially conscious businesses has positively affected her students and the local business community, the university said in a statement.

“At CSUCI I feel supported in taking risks in the classroom involving innovative teaching practices,” Ballesteros-Sola said. “This award is a recognition of that nurturing environment that allows me the freedom to try new things I believe will have a deep impact on my students and help them see things in a new way.”

Ballesteros-Sola is a former volunteer teacher at White Oak Elementary School in Westlake Village, and is co-founder of Westlake-based Startup Kids, an educational nonprofit that teaches students from elementary to high school about entrepreneurship.