Stephen Perez was appointed president of Chico State in May 2023. He previously served as the university's interim provost and vice president of Academic Affairs, during which time he led the university's enrollment continuum effort and helped close a $20 million budget gap.

Perez has spent most of his 30-year career in higher education with the California State University system. For 20 years, he served in academic and administrative roles at Sacramento State, including as professor, department chair, interim dean, vice provost and provost. As provost, he helped lead efforts to increase the university's four-year graduation rates from nine percent to more than 25 percent, while working to eliminate equity gaps.

In January 2022, he was appointed interim president at San José State. In that role, Perez led the implementation of strategies to close equity gaps and increase enrollment, worked to strengthen a culture of care on campus, built meaningful community relationships and fortified the university's reputation for academic excellence.

Additionally, Perez has held faculty positions at Virginia Commonwealth University and Washington State University.

Education

B.A., Economics, University of California, San Diego
M.A., Economics, University of California, Davis
Ph.D., Economics, University of California, Davis