Dr. Mildred García assumed the presidency of the AmericanAssociation of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) on January22, 2018.As AASCU's president, Dr. García is an advocate for public highereducation at the national level, working to influence federal policyand regulations on behalf of nearly 400 member colleges anduniversities; serving as a resource to presidents and chancellors asthey address state policy and emerging campus issues; developingcollaborative partnerships and initiatives that advance publichigher education; directing a strategic agenda that focuses onpublic college and university leadership for the 21st century; andproviding professional development opportunities for presidents,chancellors, and their spouses. She is the first Latina to lead one ofthe six presidentially based higher education associations inWashington, D.C.Prior to joining AASCU, Dr. García served as the president of two Minority Serving Institutions: CaliforniaState University (CSU), Fullerton—a nationally ranked university for its full range of academic offeringsand research, the largest university in the CSU, and the third‐largest university in the state—and at CSUDominguez Hills, where she was the first Latina president in the largest system of public highereducation in the country.Under her leadership at CSU Fullerton, the university saw a 30 percent improvement in six‐yeargraduation rates and a 65 percent improvement in four‐year graduation rates for first‐time freshmen—both university records; the achievement gap was eliminated for transfer students and cut in half forfirst‐ time freshmen; and annual gift commitments nearly tripled (from $8.5 million to $22 million). In2016, for the first time in history, U.S. News & World Report heralded the institution as a top "nationaluniversity." In addition, during her tenure as president, the institution was ranked number one inCalifornia and second in the nation in awarding bachelor’s degrees to Hispanics, as well as sixth in thenation in graduating students of color.At CSU Dominguez Hills, she eliminated a structural deficit of $2.8 million; increased media placementby 192 percent; received the highest reaccreditation from the Western Association of Schools andColleges; exceeded enrollment targets not met previously for eight years; increased donor giving by 140percent; and increased retention rates for first‐time full‐time freshmen by 10 percent.Before her arrival in the CSU, Dr. García served as the CEO of Berkeley College, where she was the firstsystem‐wide president for all six campuses.She has held both academic and senior‐level positions at Arizona State University; Montclair StateUniversity; Pennsylvania State University; Teachers College, Columbia University; and the Hostos,LaGuardia, and City Colleges of the City University of New York. Dr. García is also a much sought‐afterspeaker at national and international conferences and has published extensively in academic journalsand contributed to multiple books related to student success, leadership, diversity, equity and inclusion.Her most recent publications are featured in Latinx/a/os in Higher Education: Exploring Identity,Pathways, and Success (NASPA, 2018) and Leading Colleges and Universities (Johns Hopkins UniversityPress, 2018).A recipient of myriad honors and awards—from Hispanic Business Magazine’s 100 Most InfluentialHispanics in 2007 to The Washingtonian’s Most Influential People in Washington in 2021—Dr. Garcíawas appointed by President Barack Obama to serve on the President’s Advisory Commission onEducational Excellence for Hispanics, the U.S. Secretary of Defense to serve on Air University’s Board ofVisitors, and the U.S. Secretary of Education to serve on the Committee on Measures of StudentSuccess. She presently sits on the boards of ETS, National Center for Higher Education ManagementSystems (NCHEMS), National Survey for Student Engagement (NSSE), and American AcademicLeadership Institute (AALI). In addition, she serves as the co‐chair for the Bill and Melinda GatesFoundation’s Postsecondary Value Commission.A first‐generation college student, Dr. García earned a Doctor of Education and an M.A. in HigherEducation Administration from Teachers College, Columbia University; an M.A. in BusinessEducation/Higher Education from New York University; a B.S. in Business Education from BaruchCollege, City University of New York; and an A.A.S. from New York City Community College.