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). ELA is designed to prepare college and university administrators from all backgrounds to advance into executive roles such as dean, vice president, provost, president, or chancellor. Since being established in 2011, the Executive Leadership Academy has graduated 623 participants. In addition to the annual summer program, the ELA has provided international training for numerous countries including India, Cambodia, and Ukraine.
Previously, she served as President of Marian University until 2009. During her presidency, she led the transition from a college to university status. Baltodano was highlighted in Diverse: Issues in Higher Education in the “Top 35 Women in Higher Education” in 2019. She served on the Higher Education Resource Services (HERS) Board of Directors, the University of Wisconsin System President’s Council on Diversity, the Alta Bates Summit Foundation Board, and the Board of Directors of the American Council on Education (ACE) Women’s Network Executive Council. She also served as Chair on the Board of Directors for the Alameda Health System Foundation, while simultaneously serving as the Campaign Chair. In honor of her exceptional service, Josefina was chosen as the 2017 recipient of the Outstanding Fundraising Volunteer Award from the Association of American Fundraising Professionals, Golden Gate Chapter. She is co-author of, “Opening Doors: The Higher Education Executive Leadership Playbook” which was published in 2021.
Under her outstanding leadership as Campaign Committee Chair, the Alameda Health System Foundation received the largest institutional gift and the largest bequest in its history. Greatly surpassing the original goal; she spearheaded the capital campaign that supports the vital services and programs for the Alameda Health System. Through Josie’s dedication to providing world-class health care to all members of our community, she serves as a shining example of a philanthropist with a driven mission of bettering her community.
Baltodano has 33 years at UC Berkeley in administration and teaching, which included development and leadership of the Academic Achievement Division (AAD), and teaching in the Ethnic Studies Department. At Alliant International University in California, she served as Executive Vice President for Strategic Planning and Advancement and University Professor. She also served at John F. Kennedy University, California where she was Vice President for University Research, Vice President for University Relations, and Dean and Professor, School of Management.
Baltodano also served as a Commissioner for the American Council on Education Women’s Commission, the State of California Student Aid Commission (CSAC), and served on the Mills College Board of Trustees. She served as a key member of the Executive Committee and helped to support important initiatives which assisted in setting the standard for quality liberal arts education for Mills College. In her almost a decade on the board of trustees, she demonstrated her dedication to women’s issues and served on a capital campaign that greatly surpassed the intended goal. Finally, Josefina is proud to share that her first two major non-profit boards were when she served on the Board of Directors for KQED and on the Board of Trustees for the San Francisco Ballet, assisting both in their fundraising campaign initiatives, which exceeded their goals.
Baltodano serves as a High-Performance Executive Coach and Senior Principal at Archer Martin and Associates, and presents on the following topics: strategic leadership; CV, cover letter, and interview techniques; transitional leadership; enrollment management; fundraising; board relations; community engagement; and entrepreneurial initiatives.
