Chief Legal Officer
Ember Education
Corporate Secretary
San Joaquin Valley College, Inc. (SJVC)
Michael “Mike” S. Abril is the Chief Legal Officer of Ember Education and the Corporate Secretary of San Joaquin Valley College, Inc. (SJVCi). Ember Education is the shared services division of SJVCi, which owns and operates both San Joaquin Valley College and Carrington College, a regionally accredited career college with branch campuses in the Western United States, including California. Mr. Abril serves on Ember Education’s Executive Leadership Committee and is actively engaged in SJVCi’s government affairs efforts. He regularly interacts with California legislators and their staffs on legislative and regulatory matters affecting the proprietary sector.
Prior to joining SJVCi in December 2012, Mr. Abril worked twenty-six (26) years in private practice, including seven years practicing in Los Angeles for national law firms. As a private attorney, Mr. Abril focused on business and real estate matters, including business formation, mergers and acquisition, and general business counseling. He has served on various non-profit boards, including the Kern County Bar Association, First Presbyterian Church, Bakersfield (also served as Treasurer from 2012 to 2023), Bakersfield Museum of Art, and Bakersfield Swim Club.
Mr. Abril did his undergraduate work at the University of California, Davis where he received his B.A. (Economics and Political Science) in 1982. He received his MBA and J.D. degrees from the University of Southern California in 1986.
Mr. Abril has been actively involved in the career education sector for over ten years. He served on the Board of Directors of the California Association of Private Postsecondary Schools (CAPPS) from 2014 to 2020. He currently serves on the CECU Litigation Committee and has served as a CECU representative at Republican Attorney General Association meetings. He is also part of an ad hoc group of career sector in-house and private attorneys who meet regularly to discuss legal matters affecting the proprietary sector.
Mr. Abril resides in Bakersfield, CA, is married to Alice, and has three children—daughters Paige and Taber and son Blair. The Abrils are proud owners of a rescued French Bulldog—Grace.