People

Following service as Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry at UCLA, Dr.

Karl S. Pister is a CSHE faculty affiliate and served as director of the Center from 2002 to 2004.

Maria Veronica Santelices, PhD, is an associate professor at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Department of Education. Her research interests include educational measurement and educational policy.

Email: djwhite@umn.edu

On March 16, 2017, Professor Christ was appointed as the 11th Chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley, effective July 1, 2017.

Michael Nacht holds the Thomas and Alison Schneider Chair in Public Policy at the Goldman School of Public policy.  From 1998-2008 he was Aaron Wildavsky Dean of the Goldman School.  He is a specialist in U.S.

Josefina Baltodano is currently serving at UC Berkeley as Senior Associate – External Relations of the Center for Studies in Higher Education and Founding Executive Director of the Executive Leadership Academy (ELA).

Hong Liu is currently a Visiting Scholar at Center for Studies in Higher Education (CSHE), UC Berkeley. She is also working as an associate professor of Business School at University of Shanghai for Science and Technology in China.

Xiang Yao is currently a Visiting Scholar at the Center for Studies in Higher Education (CSHE), UC Berkeley. She is an Assistant Professor at the National Academy of Education Administration (NAEA) in China.

Simon Barker is Managing Partner at Blue Moon Consulting Group, a consultancy that focuses on providing real-time response and proactive planning services to reduce reputational risk, particularly for higher education and technology clie

Janet L. Holmgren is a consultant to higher education and nonprofit organizations.

James A. Hyatt served as Interim Senior Vice President for Business and Finance at the University of Arizona from 2013 through 2014.

Dr. Dale Jones is Chancellor and Chief Academic Officer at Penn State Wilkes-Barre since January 2017.

Dr. LaMont Jones, Jr. is a 30-year veteran journalist who has written about style, fashion, and beauty for 20 years.

Since 2015, Judy C. Miner has been chancellor of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District, which is headquartered in Los Altos Hills, California.

Dr. Shirley Robinson Pippins joined Academic Search in 2016.

Gailda Pitre Davis leads the development and implementation of a broad strategic agenda for ACE Leadership programs, services and initiatives.

Dr. Judy K. Sakaki became Sonoma State University's seventh president on July 1, 2016.  Sonoma State is one of 23 campuses within the California State University, the largest public university system in the country.

Born into an Irish family that revered mission and service, from an early age she followed the drive to serve a cause bigger than herself.  

Dr. Adela de la Torre was recently appointed by the California State University Board of Trustees as the new president of San Diego State University. Joining the campus in June 2018, Dr.

Preston serves as the Senior Associate Vice President for Development at the University of San Francisco, but his roots at USF go much deeper.

Dr. Fred Wood began his tenure as the eighth permanent Chancellor of the Contra Costa Community College District in January 2017.

Karen Biestman is the Associate Dean and Director of Stanford’s Native American Cultural Center, with teaching appointments at both Berkeley and Stanford Law Schools, and Stanford’s Center for the Comparative Study of Race and Ethnicity.

Johnnella E. Butler, Professor Comparative Women’s Studies, Spelman College, served as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Spelman from 2005-2014. Prior to Spelman, Dr.

Joseph I. Castro has served as the eighth president of California State University, Fresno since 2013. He is the first Californian and first Valley native to serve in this position.

In 2012, the Mexican government recognized Alex Gonzalez with the Ohtli Award, its highest honor for leaders of Mexican descent.

Dorothy J. Leland was appointed the third chancellor of the University of California, Merced on May 18, 2011.

Dr. Sofía Martinez Ramos is a Founding Fellow and Advisory Board member of the Executive Leadership Academy at University of California, Berkeley.

Dr. Horace Mitchell became the fourth President of California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB) in July 2004 after thirty-six years of experience in higher education. Under Dr.

Chosen as president of Antioch University Seattle, Dr. Cassandra Manuelito-Kerkvliet became the first Native American woman to ascend to the presidency of an accredited university outside the tribal colleges.

Elñora Tena Webb is an Executive Coach and strategic planner, leading a leadership firm, Signature Solutions Corporate Results.

Margaret B. Wilkerson is a scholar, theatre director, experienced administrator and educational activist who devoted her life and career to social justice and equity in education and philanthropy.

George R. Blumenthal is formerly UC Santa Cruz's 10th chancellor. He joined the campus in 1972 as a faculty member in astronomy and astrophysics and was named chancellor on September 19, 2007, after serving as acting chancellor for 14 months.

Samantha Rushing started with the Executive Leadership Academy in 2017 as the Executive Assistant. Her passion for and devotion to the program assisted her in becoming the ELA Program Administrator in 2018. 

Saul Geiser is a research associate at the Center for Studies in Higher Education at the University of California, Berkeley. He received his Ph.D.

ShuiMei Bao is currently a Visiting Scholar at Center for Studies in Higher Education (CSHE), UC Berkeley. She is also working as associate professor of LanZhou University in China.

Xiao Jia is a Ph.D. student in Graduate School of Education, Dalian University of Technology (DUT). He is currently a visiting student researcher at the Center for Studies in Higher Education, UC Berkeley.

Aray Saniyazova is a senior manager at the Office of President of Nazarbayev University (NU). She holds a Master’s degree in education from Vanderbilt University (2011), and PhD in education from NU (2017).

Brian Murphy, Ph.D., served De Anza College as its president for fourteen years, a tenure distinguished by a commitment to equity, student civic and political engagement, and academic excellence.

Xiaoyu Chen is currently a professor in Graduate School of Education, Director of the Center for Basic Education Research at Peking University.

Dr. Ronald L. Huesman, Jr.

University of California Office of the President
USA
margaretheisel@berkeley.edu
March 2016 - March 2017

Ellen Switkes is Senior Associate and Co-organizer of CSHE’s Berkeley Institutes on Higher Education (BIHE), targeted to higher education leaders from nations outside the United States.  BIHE is focused on the essential characteristics of major re

Maria Veronica Santelices, PhD, is an associate professor at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Department of Education. Her research interests include educational measurement and educational policy.

As the Center’s financial analyst, Elisabeth Gordon supports the Center’s financial services; she is responsible for the Center’s financial management (analysis, planning, and reporting.) Ms.

Marijk van der Wende is Distinguished Faculty Professor of Higher Education at Utrecht University’s Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance.

Steven Brint is Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Public Policy at the University of California, Riverside, Director of the Colleges & Universities 2000 Project, and a Principal Researcher in the SERU Consortium.

Marian Gade serves as Secretary of the UC Retirees’ Association at Berkeley (UCRAB) and as one of its representatives on the YC Berkeley Retirement Center Advisory Board.

Diane Harley, Ph.D., directed the Higher Education in the Digital Age (HEDA) project at the Center for Studies in Higher Education.

William B. Lacy, Professor of Sociology in the Department of Human Ecology and former Vice Provost for University Outreach and International Programs at the University of California, Davis from 1999-2014.

Helena Brykarz has worked with a range of international non-profits and foundations, managing programs, operations, human resources and fundraising.

Xia Teng is an associate at CSHE.  Dr.

Ami Zusman is a Research Associate at the Center for Studies in Higher Education at UC Berkeley.