Our President

About Dr. Lisa Cardoza

Lisa Cardoza proudly serves as the first Latina President of American River College, the largest college in the Los Rios Community College District. American River College serves more than 30,000 students, has the largest community college Apprenticeship program in California, and is focused on improving the success of our disproportionately impacted students as both a Hispanic Serving Institution and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander serving Institution.

She previously served as Vice President for University Advancement at Sacramento State and Executive Officer for The University Foundation, leading the University toward completion of its first, successful comprehensive fundraising campaign, On the Rise, which exceeded its $225 million goal by raising nearly $240 million. Lisa joined Sacramento State in 2015, primarily serving as President Robert S. Nelsen’s Chief of Staff and holding interim Vice President roles in Advancement (2017) and Human Resources (2018-2019).

With a focus on empowering the next generation of leaders and making an impact on the Sacramento community, Lisa serves on the Board of Directors of Improve Your Tomorrow, Greater Sacramento Urban League, Girl Scouts Heart of Central California, Street Soccer USA, as well as on the Executive Committee for the 1300 Campaign and the Nueva Epoca Advisory Council. She is also a Senior Fellow of the Mountain Valley American Leadership Forum (ALF), Class XXII.

Lisa earned her doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. She graduated from Stanford University with a BA in Economics and an MA in Social Sciences of Education. She is also the very proud mother of two boys—Gabriel and Diego.