SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento State announced J. Luke Wood will be the university's ninth president, Wednesday.
Wood earned his bachelor’s degree in Black History and Politics as well as a master’s degree in Higher Education Leadership at Sacramento State.
“It’s about investing back in the community that invested in me,” Wood said. “I know what Sac State is capable of doing. I was a Black male, former foster child, first-generation college student who struggled with food insecurity and housing insecurity, and was able to graduate because of the incredible people and systems of support that were in place. If Sac State can do that for me, it can do that for anyone."
The 41-year-old comes to Sacramento State from San Diego State University where he is the vice president for Student Affairs and Campus Diversity as well as chief diversity officer.
Wood grew up in McCloud, a town in Siskiyou County.
The appointment of a new president comes after Robert S. Nelsen announced his retirement in November.
“President Nelsen has done an incredible job in increasing graduation rates and creating a sense of community at Sac State,” Wood said. “So, it’s really about furthering the good work that’s been done around student success, diversity and inclusion, and seeing how we can further continue those trajectories to continue to be even better every day.”
He will retire effective July 1, 2023. Nelsen, 70, started at Sacramento State in July 2015. He is Sac State’s eighth president and led the university for the past seven years.
Watch more on ABC10: Sights and Sounds of Sacramento State's Graduation
