Tani Cantil-Sakauye is president and CEO of the Public Policy Institute of California, where she holds the Walter and Esther Hewlett Chair in Understanding California’s Future. From 2011 to 2022, she served as the 28th Chief Justice of California and led the judiciary as the chair of the Judicial Council—the constitutional policy and rule making body of the judicial branch—the first person of color and the second woman to do so. Before she was elected statewide as the Chief Justice of California, she served more than 20 years on California appellate and trial courts and was appointed or elevated to higher office by three governors. Earlier in her career she served as a deputy district attorney for the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office and on the senior staff of Governor Deukmejian, first as deputy legal affairs secretary and later as a deputy legislative secretary. Currently she is also an associate professor at the University of Virginia, and a board member for the University of California Center for Students, the Kaiser Arbitration Oversight Board, and the Alliance of Retired Chief Justices. She holds a BA and a JD from the University of California, Davis.

Dr. Sonya Christian is chancellor of the California Community Colleges, the first woman to be appointed to this role. Previously, she served as chancellor of the Kern Community College District; she led Kern CCD to prepare the workforce of tomorrow for careers in emerging energy and climate technologies, with an insistent focus on equity by building community resilience and empowerment. She began her three-decade career in education at Kern CCD in 1991, first as a mathematics professor and later as division chair, then dean of science, engineering, allied health, and mathematics at Bakersfield College. In 2003, she joined Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon, as associate vice president for instruction, then vice president of academic and student affairs and chief academic officer. She returned to Bakersfield College in 2013 as president. In all of her roles, she has always been deeply committed to equity, which she has demonstrated through her work in the areas of Guided Pathways and Early College. From 2015 to 2022, she served on the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, including as chair. She also serves on the Public Policy Institute of California Higher Education Center Advisory Council, the Campaign for College Opportunity, and she chairs the California Community Colleges Women’s Caucus. She earned her BS degree from University of Kerala in India, her MS in applied mathematics from the University of Southern California, and her doctorate from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Dr. Mildred García is chancellor of California State University. She is the first Latina to lead the nation’s largest and most diverse four-year public university system and the first Latina in the nation to lead a four-year public higher education system. Previously, she served as president of Cal State Fullerton from 2012 to 2018 and president of CSU Dominguez Hills from 2007 to 2012, where she was the CSU’s first Latina president. Prior to her appointment as chancellor, she served as president of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities since 2018, where she was an internationally renowned advocate for public higher education. She previously served as CEO of Berkeley College and has held academic and leadership positions at Arizona State University; Montclair State University; Pennsylvania State University; Teachers College, Columbia University; and the Hostos, LaGuardia and City Colleges of the City University of New York. A recipient of myriad awards and honors, she was appointed by President Obama to serve on the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. In 2024, she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and in 2025, she was honored with the TIAA Institute Hesburgh Award for her outstanding leadership of the CSU and positive impact on higher education more broadly. She received her associate degree from New York City Community College, a bachelor’s in business education from Baruch College, and a master’s in business education from New York University. She earned a master’s and a doctorate in higher education administration at Teachers College, Columbia University.

James Milliken is president of the University of California, overseeing UC’s system of ten campuses, six academic health centers, three affiliated national laboratories, more than 290,000 students, and 230,000 faculty and staff. He has more than 30 years of experience serving in leadership roles at large institutions. Most recently, he served as chancellor of the University of Texas System (UT) from 2018–2025, where he also held the Lee Hage and Joseph D. Jamail Regents Chair in Higher Education Leadership. As UT’s chancellor, he led one of the largest public university systems in the United States, composed of 14 academic and health institutions. Before joining the UT system, he served as chancellor of the City University of New York (CUNY), the largest urban university system in the country, where he was a tenured distinguished professor of law, public policy, and education. Prior to CUNY, he served as president of the University of Nebraska, where he was a tenured professor in the schools of law and of public policy. He also served as senior vice president of the 16-campus University of North Carolina. During his career in public higher education, he has received many awards and recognitions, including honorary degrees, the President’s Award from One Hundred Black Men of New York, the Nebraskan of the Year award, the CUNY Dreamers Award, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the City & State New York. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He serves on the boards of directors of the American Council on Education and the Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English at the University of Nebraska and a law degree at New York University.

Olga Rodriguez is director of the PPIC Higher Education Center and a senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California, where she holds the Thomas and Marilyn Sutton Chair in Higher Education Policy. As center director, she works with a team of researchers to identify programs and policies to help make the state’s higher education system more successful, equitable, and sustainable. Her own research focuses on college access and success among underserved students. Her recent work has examined statewide reforms to developmental education, English as a second language, dual enrollment, and assessment and placement systems in California’s community colleges. Before joining PPIC, she was a postdoctoral research associate at the Community College Research Center at Teachers College, Columbia University. She holds a BA in economics/mathematics and Spanish from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and an MA and PhD in economics and education from Columbia University.

Kristen Soares is the fourth president of the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities (AICCU), representing more than 80 independent, nonprofit institutions committed to the public good. As president, she serves as the chief spokesperson for the sector, working in close partnership with campus leaders and policymakers to shape state and federal higher education policy that expands access, advances affordability, and strengthens student success. Under her leadership, AICCU has advanced forward-looking policy initiatives, including a landmark agreement with the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office to implement the Associate Degree for Transfer pathway within the independent sector to expand and streamline transfer opportunities for community college students. She brings over 35 years of experience in higher education administration and public policy, including senior leadership roles at the University of Southern California. She holds a bachelor’s degree in public administration from the University of Southern California.