Mary Ann Villareal
Wave Staff and Wire Reports
CARSON — Mary Ann Villarreal, a former consultant in the California State University Chancellor’s Office, has been named the interim president of Cal State Dominguez Hills, effective at the beginning of next year.
Villarreal, who is currently the vice president for institutional excellence at the American Association of Colleges and Universities, will replace current university President Thomas A. Parham, who is retiring at the end of the month.
“I am thrilled Dr. Villarreal has agreed to return to the CSU to serve as interim president of CSU Dominguez Hills,” CSU Chancellor Mildred García said in a statement. “She is equity-minded, student-focused and a champion of strategic innovation. I have every confidence that she will be a principled leader, a compassionate presence and a devoted advocate for the Dominguez Hills community through this time of transition.”
Villarreal previously served for five years as the first vice president for equity, diversity and inclusion at the University of Utah. She also worked at Cal State Fullerton from 2014 to 2019, serving as director of strategic initiatives and university projects and eventually as associate vice president of academic affairs.
She also previously served as associate dean of the Colorado Women’s College formerly located at the University of Denver, and was a faculty member in history at University of Colorado Boulder.
She was a consultant in the CSU Chancellor’s Office, helping to develop the systemwide CSU Forward strategic plan.
“I am excited by the opportunity to join CSU Dominguez Hills and the CSU in advancing their vital mission of serving California students in all the breadth and promise they bring,” Villarreal said in a statement. “As one of the most diverse campuses in the CSU system, Dominguez Hills is a vital anchor institution for the community it serves. A beacon of inclusivity, it inspires hope — both for the community and for higher education in California.”
Parham announced last May he would be stepping down as university president. He has guided the campus since March 2018.
“Serving as president of California State University, Dominguez Hills has been one of the honors of my life and I take a great deal of pride in what my team and I have contributed to what existed before, and what we have uniquely accomplished during what will be my seven year plus tenure as president,” Parham said at the time.
