Dr. J. Luke Wood to Become President of Sacramento State University

In the search for its ninth permanent president, Sacramento State University didn’t have to look far. Dr. J. Luke Wood, a Sac State alum, was appointed to the position today. He’ll take over for retiring President Robert S. Nelson on July 16^th.

Wood is currently San Diego State University’s (SDSU) vice president for student affairs and campus diversity and chief diversity officer. He sees himself as evidence of the power of a Sacramento State education.

Dr. J. Luke Wood, incoming president of Sacramento State University“I'm African American. I'm male. I'm a former foster child, and I'm a student who struggled with food insecurities and housing insecurities, and I'm a first-generation college student, but I went to Sac State and it was an environment where I had mentors and people who supported me, and programs and services that I benefited from,” Wood said in an interview with Diverse. “And if Sac State could make a person like me successful, then they can help create that kind of pathway for any student.”

Sacramento State was critical to Wood’s ascension to academic and administrative stardom after a difficult childhood. He and his twin brother were born while their mother was in prison and spent time in foster care. They were also frequently disciplined, a phenomenon that Wood would go on to explore in his research on inequitable suspensions and expulsions between racial groups. His experience at Sac State played a role in his career focus on student success.

“The work that I do as a scholar is directly influenced by [the knowledge that] educators serve as critical agents to help students, particularly our minoritized students, navigate institutions that have historically struggled with facilitating access,” he said.

Once Wood had access, he made the most of it. After graduating from Sacramento State with a bachelor’s in Black History and Politics, Wood returned for his master’s in Higher Education Leadership. He then moved on to Arizona State University, where he earned a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction in Early Childhood Education and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies with an emphasis in higher education.

Wood began his academic career as a professor at San Diego State University (SDSU) in 2011, and the next year became co-director, with Dr. Frank Harris III, of the Community College Equity Assessment Lab (CCEAL), which focuses on eliminating equity gaps for students of color. He became the first Black faculty member to be named a Distinguished Professor at SDSU in 2017. Wood currently serves on the California Racial Equity Commission to tackle structural racism across the state.