Dr. Alexander Gonzalez has served more than three decades as a professor and education leader, including the last eight years as president of California State University, Sacramento.

As the first person in his family to graduate from college, Dr. Gonzalez has devoted his career to ensuring greater opportunities for students.  He grew up in East Los Angeles with six siblings, graduating from high school at a time when students did not have the same options for higher education that they have today.

Dr. Gonzalez enlisted in the U.S. Air Force at age 17, served four years and then used the G.I. Bill to graduate from Pomona College in Claremont, Calif.  He later earned a master's in psychology and doctorate from the University of California, Santa Cruz, before serving as a postdoctoral research fellow at Stanford University. 

His experience includes six years as president of California State University, San Marcos, and 18 years as a faculty member and provost at Fresno State.  At Sacramento State, Dr. Gonzalez implemented his Destination 2010 initiative to transform the campus into a premier metropolitan university.

Following his belief that universities and communities must work together to improve lives and opportunities, Dr. Gonzalez serves on the Pomona College Board of Trustees and is a board member of Valley Vision. He also serves on the board of directors of the Crocker Art Museum and as a Director of the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE). Dr. Gonzalez was appointed by then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to serve as a Commissioner on the California Student Aid Commission.

His past service includes six years as a commissioner for the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, the accrediting agency for higher education institutions in California and Hawaii, and serving as chair of the Governing Board of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities.  He also served on the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans and the Sutter Health Board of Directors.