Cal State Fresno's First Hispanic President Joins Lumina Board

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Apr 06, 2020, 06:00 ET

INDIANAPOLIS, April 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Joseph I. Castro, president of California State University at Fresno since 2013, has joined Lumina Foundation's board of directors.

Castro, the grandson of immigrants from Mexico, the son of a single mother, and the first in his family to graduate from a university, is a noted scholar and mentor in the fields of leadership and public policy. He is the first native Californian and first person of Hispanic ethnicity to serve as president of Fresno State.

"As the leader of a diverse, urban campus serving many of today's students, Joe's insights and guidance will be critical to Lumina's efforts," said Jamie Merisotis, Lumina's president and CEO. "Success in California is critical if we are to continue the nation's progress toward increasing the share of Americans with quality degrees, certificates, certifications and other credentials to 60 percent by 2025."

Before joining Fresno State, Castro served for 23 years in the University of California system. From 2006-13, he was vice chancellor of student academic affairs at UC San Francisco. Earlier in his career, he held faculty or administrative leadership positions at four other UC campuses – Berkeley, Davis, Merced, and Santa Barbara.

Castro holds a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's in public policy from UC Berkeley and a doctorate in higher education policy and leadership from Stanford University.

Castro serves on a number of boards, including the Western Association of Schools and Colleges' (WASC) Senior College and University Commission, the Mountain West Athletic Conference, Stanford University's Graduate School of Education Advisory Council, the James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award Selection Committee, the College Football Playoff Board of Managers, the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities' Governing Board, and the Jumpstart National Board.

See a complete list of the Foundation's board of directors.

About Lumina Foundation
Lumina Foundation is an independent, private foundation that is committed to making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all. The foundation envisions a system that is easy to navigate, delivers fair results, and meets the nation's need for talent through a broad range of credentials. Lumina's goal is to prepare people for informed citizenship and for success in a global economy.

For more information, please contact Tracy Chen, director of media strategy, at [email protected] or 317.951.5316.

SOURCE Lumina Foundation