Julia I. Lopez

A widely respected leader with broad and deep experience in philanthropy and government, Julia I. Lopez served as the president and CEO of College Futures Foundation (then known as College Access Foundation of California) from 2008 until her retirement in June 2017.

Before joining College Futures Foundation, Lopez served as senior vice president of the Rockefeller Foundation. In that leadership role, she provided oversight, management and evaluation of the foundation's strategic program grant-making around the world. In her earlier work, she served as director of Rockefeller's Working Communities program, addressing urban poverty and education in the United States.

Lopez currently serves as a board member of KQED, a Northern California public media outlet; The Christensen Fund; and two organizations: California Competes and One Future Coachella Valley, which are dedicated to improving educational outcomes to meet state and regional economic development and workforce needs.

She is a graduate of Newton College of the Sacred Heart (now Boston College) and holds a master's degree in public policy from the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley. In June 2018, California State University, San Bernardino awarded Lopez an honorary doctorate in humane letters in recognition of her work to advance student success in underserved communities, especially the Inland Empire.