Mildred García

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.