California State University, Dominguez Hills
Michael Lou Requieron Medalla is the manager of the Toyota USA Foundation, a charitable organization that has awarded millions of dollars to nonprofit organizations in the United States since its founding in 1987. Under Mr. Medalla’s leadership, the foundation’s generosity has enhanced the quality of education by supporting innovative programs dedicated to improving the teaching and learning of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
He is passionate about California State University, Dominguez Hills’ mission of educational access and affordability for students from traditionally underserved communities. As a result, his advocacy for the university has helped enable it to blossom into a model urban university. Toyota’s ongoing contributions to the university now total $5.5 million. By helping fund the construction of the Science & Innovation Building and the Toyota Center for Innovation in STEM Education, Toyota is transforming the lives of CSUDH students by providing in-demand skills for in-demand careers.
In addition to his philanthropic work at Toyota, Mr. Medalla serves as a community director and the finance and investment committee chair for the CSUDH Philanthropic Foundation. In this role he has been instrumental in securing record-breaking philanthropic donations.
Mr. Medalla earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from UCLA and his MBA from the Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University. A member of the Toyota team since 1999, he also serves on the industry advisory board of the Drucker School of Management and on the steering committee of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas’ inclusive economy accelerator, Advance Together.
In recognition of his extraordinary contributions to higher education, which have created a positive impact for thousands of Southern California students, the Board of Trustees of the California State University and California State University, Dominguez Hills are proud to confer upon Michael Lou Requieron Medalla the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.