Mildred García

Chancellor

California State University System
Mildred Garcia

In July 2023, the California State University (CSU) Board of Trustees appointed Dr. Mildred García to serve as the 11th chancellor of the California State University.

In her most recent role as AASCU’s president, Dr. García advocated for public higher education at the national level, working to influence federal policy and regulations on behalf of nearly 400 member colleges and universities. She was the first Latina to lead one of the six presidentially based higher education associations in Washington, D.C. Prior to joining AASCU, Dr. García served as the president of two Minority Serving Institutions: California State University (CSU), Fullerton—a nationally ranked university for its full range of academic offerings and research, the largest university in the CSU, and the third-largest university in the state—and at CSU Dominguez Hills, where she was the first Latina president in the largest system of public higher education in the country. Before her arrival in the CSU, Dr. García served as the CEO of Berkeley College, where she was the first system-wide president for all six campuses. She has held both academic and senior-level 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 first-generation college student, Dr. García earned a Doctor of Education and an M.A. in Higher Education Administration from Teachers College, Columbia University; an M.A. in Business Education/Higher Education from New York University; a B.S. in Business Education from Baruch College, City University of New York; and an A.A.S. from New York City Community College.