CSUCI Professor Named to State Parks Foundation

Rudolph I. Estrada, a California State University Channel Islands adjunct professor of finance and management and director of the University's Small Business Institute, has been recently named to the board of trustees of the California State Parks Foundation.

Estrada, who will serve a three-year renewable term, brings his wide-ranging business and community experience to the organization that advocates for funding and resources for the state's 278 parks.

The nonprofit foundation, which is comprised of 40,000 members, foundations, and corporate partners, supports environmental education, wildlife and habitat preservation, volunteerism, and sound park policy. Since its founding in 1969, it has contributed more than $110 million to benefit state parks.

"To serve on the California State Parks Foundation, an individual must demonstrate outstanding leadership and service in their professional careers," said Thomas McHenry, foundation trustee and chair of the organization's nominating committee. "That person must have a solid commitment to the preservation of recreational use of parklands in California. So we were particularly excited to have Rudy Estrada join our organization, because he brings such a strong background in small business and the banking industry, as well as a commitment to parks-on national and state levels-that goes back 25 years."

The appointment also reflects CSUCI's commitment to the environment and to its responsibilities as a green campus. "We're very proud of Rudy Estrada, not only for his many contributions as a teacher, mentor, and business consultant to our students, but also for this very special honor," said CSUCI President Richard R. Rush. "His participation on the foundation will help to ensure that our state parks are enjoyed by millions of people throughout our state and country."

In addition to his CSUCI duties as a professor and director of the University's SBI, Estrada is president and chief executive officer of Estradagy, a firm that provides business and financial services to companies in the public and private sectors.

The new California State Parks Foundation trustee has also held key positions with federal agencies, including serving as a member of the board of several corporate companies, as well as the former commissioner to the White House Commission on Small Business for the President of the United States and director of the Los Angeles District of the United States Small Business Administration, the largest district within the federal agency.

He is also active in the leadership of a number of community organizations, including former president of the University of Southern California Mexican-American Scholarship Foundation, the Sierra Club, member of the Board of Trustees for the Didi Hirsch Community Mental Health Center, the Boy Scouts of America, and past president of the Board of Trustees for Sias University in Zhengzhou, China.

Media Contact: Peggy Hinz, 805-437-8415