Commencement Speaker
Dr. Eduardo M. Ochoa
Our guest speaker for this 76th commencement ceremony is Dr. Eduardo M. Ochoa, the former Assistant Secretary for
Postsecondary Education for the United States of America under the leadership of President
Barack Obama. In that office, Dr. Ochoa served as the Secretary of Education’s chief
adviser on higher education issues. Long before joining President Obama’s team, Dr.
Ochoa was a sought-after leader in higher education. He previously served as Chair
of the Economics and Statistics Department at CSU Los Angeles, Dean of the College
of Business Administration at Cal Poly Pomona, and Provost and Vice President for
Academic Affairs at Sonoma State University. Following his tenure with the federal
government, Dr. Ochoa served as President of California State University Monterey
Bay for ten years before retiring in 2022. In that ten-year period, Dr. Ochoa launched
Monterey County Bright Futures, a collective impact partnership; served on the Board
of Directors of the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership; and helped to solidify CSU
Monterey Bay as a regional asset, contributing to the sustainable growth and diversification
of the region’s economic base.
Driven by a heart for service, Dr. Ochoa continues to have an impact on higher education,
civic engagement, and the economic health of our nation. Currently, he serves on the
boards of the Carmel Bach Festival, the World Affairs Council of Monterey Bay, the
American Association of Colleges and Universities, the National Council for State
Authorization Reciprocity Agreements, and as a Trustee of Reed College.