2018 marked the first time in the CSU’s history when the majority of presidents were women. Currently, women are at the helm of 12 of the CSU’s 23 universities. In addition, a woman is leading the entire CSU system, with Dr. Mildred García serving not only as the CSU’s first Latina chancellor, but as the first Latina in the nation to lead a four-year public university system.
“The California State University has a long and proud history of elevating diverse women to leadership positions,” says CSU Chancellor Mildred García. “Our current women presidents and trustees continue to provide visionary, principled, bold and compassionate leadership as the CSU strengthens its position as the nation’s model for inclusive excellence and the preeminent university system for educating America’s new majority.”
This Women’s History Month, we honor their hard work and dedication to the CSU and its students, faculty and staff. Meet the women leading the CSU to a brighter future.
Mildred García
Mildred García
Chancellor, The California State University
Mildred García began her tenure as chancellor on October 1, 2023, becoming the CSU’s first Latina chancellor and the first Latina in the nation to lead a four-year university system. Her previous CSU leadership posts included serving as president of Cal State Fullerton from 2012 to 2018 and as president of CSU Dominguez Hills from 2007 to 2012, when she became the CSU’s first Latina president. Between 2018 and 2023, she served as president of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. A recipient of myriad awards and honors—including appointments to the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics and the Committee on Measures of Student Success—García was honored by the California Legislative Women’s Caucus as a 2024 California Woman Making HERstory.
Erika D. Beck
Erika D. Beck
President, CSUN
Prior to her appointment to CSUN in October 2020, Erika Beck served as president of CSU Channel Islands for four years. Before joining the CSU, she served as provost and executive vice president at Nevada State College. A strong advocate for the power of higher education to improve lives, she was named one of the Most Influential Leaders in Education by the Pacific Coast Business Times and as a Woman of the Year by the California Women’s Caucus.
Soraya M. Coley
Soraya M. Coley
President, Cal Poly Pomona
The first woman and first African American scholar to be named president of Cal Poly Pomona, Soraya Coley was appointed to the position in September 2014. She has helped grow CPP’s legacy as the most diverse polytechnic university in the country and as a national leader in promoting social and economic mobility. In 2023, Coley received the American Council on Education Donna Shavlik Award for demonstrating a sustained commitment to advancing women in higher education. She will retire from her role as CPP’s president at the end of July 2025.
Jane Close Conoley
Jane Close Conoley
President, Cal State Long Beach
Since January 2014, Jane Close Conoley has served as president of Cal State Long Beach. She was the first woman to be named a permanent president of the campus. Conoley has also held leadership roles at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Texas A&M University and the University of Nebraska, Lincoln—and is the author, co-author or editor of more than 120 books, articles, and book chapters. She will retire from her role as CSULB’s president at the end of the 2024-25 academic year.
Emily F. Cutrer
Emily F. Cutrer
Interim President, Sonoma State
In August 2024, Emily Cutrer started as interim president of Sonoma State. Over her nearly 40-year career in higher education, she has held a variety of roles at a number of public institutions including Texas A&M University-Texarkana, CSU San Marcos, Arizona State University West and University of Texas at Austin.
Adela de la Torre
Adela de la Torre
President, San Diego State
With 30 years’ experience working in higher education, Adela de la Torre began her tenure as president of SDSU in January 2018, becoming the first Latina to hold the position. While leading SDSU, de la Torre has received numerous awards, including the 2022 Visionary Award for Innovation & Economic Opportunity from LEAD San Diego, the 2021 Eagle Leadership Award from the Latino Leaders Network and the 2019 Union of Pan Asian Communities 45th Annual Leadership Award.
Berenecea Johnson Eanes
Berenecea Johnson Eanes
President, Cal State LA
When Berenecea Johnson Eanes was named president of Cal State LA in September 2023, becoming the first woman with the title, it was a return to the CSU. Previously, she served as president of York College, City University of New York and as vice president for Student Affairs at Cal State Fullerton. In 2018, while at CSUF, Eanes received the CSU’s Wang Family Excellence Award for achieving transformative results in her role as a member of the CSUF president’s cabinet and as vice president.
Lynn Mahoney
Lynn Mahoney
President, San Francisco State
Appointed in May 2019, Lynn Mahoney is the first woman to serve as SF State president in a permanent capacity. The California State Student Association named her the Robert C. Maxson President of the Year in 2021. Prior to her appointment at SFSU, Mahoney served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Cal State LA and as associate vice president for undergraduate studies and interim vice provost and dean of undergraduate studies at Cal State Long Beach.
Ellen J. Neufeldt
Ellen J. Neufeldt
President, CSU San Marcos
Ellen Neufeldt became president of CSU San Marcos in July 2019, after having served as vice president of Student Engagement and Enrollment Services at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. A champion of innovation and entrepreneurship, she oversaw the opening of CSUSM’s Innovation Hub, an on-campus home for meeting societal needs, less than a year into her tenure, and in 2022 was named a San Diego Business Journal CEO of the Year awardee.
Vanya Quiñones
Vanya Quiñones
President, CSU Monterey Bay
Before her appointment as CSUMB president in August 2022, Vanya Quiñones served as provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs at Pace University and held various leadership and professorial roles during her 21 years at the City University of New York (CUNY) - Hunter College. A neurobiologist, biopsychologist and noted researcher, Quiñones has published more than 70 peer-reviewed articles.
Britt Rios-Ellis
Britt Rios-Ellis
President, Stanislaus State
Before beginning her tenure as Stanislaus State president in July 2024, Britt Rios-Ellis served as provost and executive vice president of Academic Affairs at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. Her appointment marked a return to the CSU as she has previously held positions at Cal State Monterey Bay and Cal State Long Beach. A community health leader, Rios-Ellis has received the Henry Montes Presidential Award from the American Public Health Association’s Latino Caucus and the Sol Award from the Los Angeles County Office of AIDS Policy.
Cathy A. Sandeen
Cathy A. Sandeen
President, Cal State East Bay
Cathy Sandeen is a two-time CSU alumna, having earned her undergraduate degree at Cal Poly Humboldt (formerly Humboldt State University) and one of her master’s degrees at San Francisco State. Following an extensive career in higher education as both a faculty member and an administrative leader—including as chancellor of the University of Alaska Anchorage and of the University of Wisconsin Colleges and University of Wisconsin-Extension—she became CSUEB president in October 2020.
Cynthia Teniente-Matson
Cynthia Teniente-Matson
President, San José State
The first Latina president in San José State’s history, Cynthia Teniente-Matson assumed the role in January 2023. Before her appointment, she was president of Texas A&M University - San Antonio from 2015 to 2023. From 2004 to 2015, Teniente-Matson served as vice president for administration and chief financial officer at Fresno State, where she had earned her doctorate in Educational Leadership. In 2022, the White House Office of Presidential Personnel appointed her as commissioner to the Japan U.S. Friendship Commission and a panelist to CULCON, a State Department Japan-U.S. Binational Governance Commission.