Dr. Mildred García began her tenure as the California State University’s 11th chancellor on October 1, 2023. She is the first-ever Latina to lead the nation’s largest and most diverse four-year public university system. The appointment marks a return to the CSU for Dr. García, who served as president of Cal State Fullerton from 2012 to 2018 and president of CSU Dominguez Hills from 2007 to 2012. Prior to her appointment as chancellor, Dr. García 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. Dr. García 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, Dr. García was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve on the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics and has been named to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Raised in New York City, Dr. Garcia is a first-generation college student and the first in her family to earn a degree, 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. At Teachers College, Columbia University, she earned a master’s and a doctorate in higher education administration.