The Strategic Plan
Building on Cal State LA's strengths, four interconnected pillars set a shared direction, advancing purpose, belonging, and impact across our university community.
Message from the President
At California State University, Los Angeles, we are guided by a clear purpose: expanding opportunity through an education shaped with and for the communities we serve.
As a public university rooted in Los Angeles, where neighborhoods, industries, and generations continuously intersect and evolve, we understand education as inseparable from the pathways through which students and families build stability, advance careers, and shape meaningful change. Education is a force that moves with life across the region and beyond.
About the Strategic Plan
Cal State LA is committed to expanding opportunity and strengthening communities across Los Angeles through access, academic excellence, and meaningful engagement. One LA focuses our efforts on advancing student success, building on our national leadership in upward mobility, and expanding pathways to career and opportunity across our region and beyond.
One LA defines a shared path forward that brings together career, community, and connection. It reflects our commitment to the full student journey; to access, persistence, and achievement; to the growth and success of our faculty and staff; and to the resources, partnerships, and institutional capacity needed to advance our work.
This plan marks both a culmination and a beginning, distilling collective insight into pillars that will guide institutional progress. As we move from planning to action, our work will be grounded in shared responsibility and a commitment to the success of our students, our people, our university, and the communities we serve.
Strategic Framework
Together, these four pillars move us forward as one university, strengthening opportunity, connection, and impact for students, faculty, staff, and the broader communities we serve. This is a shared commitment to building a future shaped by collaboration, possibility, and meaningful progress. We are LA!
Pillar 1
Pillar 2
Pillar 3
Pillar 4
Strategic Planning Council
One LA reflects a shared commitment across the institution to a focused direction for the university’s future. The development of this plan was made possible through the voices, insights, and commitment of the Cal State LA community. It reflects the contributions of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members who helped shape a new path forward and this shared vision for the future.
Co-Chairs
| Co-Chair | Title |
|---|---|
| Heather Lattimer (Co-Chair) | Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs |
| Patrick Day (Co-Chair) | Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management |
Representatives
| Representatives | Title |
|---|---|
| Karin Elliot Brown | Associate Vice President for Faculty Success |
| Kenneth Castillo | Staff Senator of the Academic Senate, Chapter President of the California State University Employees Union (CSUEU), and an Equipment System Specialist at Cal State LA |
| Jessica DeShazo | Chair of the Academic Senate and Professor in the Department of Political Science |
| Arwa Hammad | President of Associated Students, Inc. |
| Arturo Mosqueda | Business Development Manager of Cal State LA Federal Credit Union |
| Monte Perez | Interim President of East Los Angeles College |
| George Pla | Chief Executive Officer and Founder of the Cordoba Corporation |
| Stephen Trzaskoma | Dean of the College of Arts and Letters, Interim Dean of the College of Natural and Social Sciences |
| Maria Ubago | Associate Vice President of Alumni Relations |
| Sal Venegas Jr. | Partner, SP&A Executive Search |
Additional Support
| Staff | Title |
|---|---|
| Erik Frost Hollins | Executive Director of the Office of Strategic Communications |
| Delmy Ruiz | Operations and Office Manager, Office of the President |
Putting the Plan Together
Facilitator
The strategic planning process is facilitated by Dr. Timothy Mottet, Senior Consultant with AASCU Consulting and former President of Colorado State University Pueblo. With over 24 years of experience in higher education leadership, Dr. Mottet brings a wealth of expertise in strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, and institutional transformation.
His role is to guide the council in developing a focused, actionable, and community-owned strategic plan by Spring 2026. He will facilitate campus-wide engagement, ensure inclusive dialogue, and support the writing and implementation of the plan.
Integrated Framework
The University Strategic Plan is being developed in tandem with three other major planning efforts: an Academic Plan, a Strategic Enrollment Management Plan, and a Facilities Master Plan.
Together, these plans will ensure that Cal State LA is positioned to thrive in a rapidly changing educational landscape, with a clear strategy that reflects our legacy, mission of purpose, and community impact throughout the region and beyond.
Creating a Plan Together
The goal of this strategic planning process is to produce a concise, high-impact plan that identifies 3-to-4 top institutional priorities, embeds strategy throughout all initiatives, aligns resources with goals, and inspires pride and ownership across the campus community.
We invite all members of the Cal State LA community to engage in this process. Through focus groups, surveys, and open forums, your voice will help shape the future of our university.
Additional Planning Committees
Academic Plan
Notes from Academic Planning sessions are available on the Sharepoint site (intranet access required). After review, please share your ideas using this Academic Planning feedback form.
| Representatives | Title |
|---|---|
| Heather Lattimer | Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs |
| Linda Greenberg | Professor, Department of English |
| Monica Sharif | Associate Professor, Department of Management |
| Taqi (aka Tirmazi Mohammad) | Associate Professor, Department of Social Work |
| Robin Dodds | Associate Professor, Department of Special Education and Counseling |
| Serie McDougal | Professor, Department of Pan-African Studies |
| Navid Amini | Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science |
| Mark Wild | Professor, Department of History |
| Kendall Faulkner | Arts and Humanities Librarian |
| Jessica DeShazo | Chair of the Academic Senate and Professor in the Department of Political Science |
| Jeffry Umaña Muñoz | Vice President, Associated Students, Inc. |
Strategic Enrollment Management Plan
| Representatives | Title |
|---|---|
| Patrick Day | Vice President for Student Affairs & Enrollment Management |
| Maria Oropeza Fujimoto | Academic Senate Designee, College of Education |
| Karin Elliott Brown | Associate Vice President and Dean of Graduate Studies |
| Margaret Garcia | Executive Director for Enrollment Services |
| Vince Lopez | Senior Director of Enrollment Services |
| Ashley Bellorin | Undergrad Rep/Vice President for Community Engagement |
| Carlos Beltran | Assistant Vice President for Administration & Finance |
| Erik Hollins | Executive Director, Strategic Communications |
| Jennifer Celaya Davis | Associate Vice President for Student Affairs |
| Erica Ellis | Associate Professor and Associate Chair, Department of Communication Disorders |
| Amanuel Gebru | President of Los Angeles City College |
Facilities Planning Council
| Representatives | Title |
|---|---|
| Claudio Lindow | Chair, Vice President for Administration & Finance & CFO |
| Marcos Pizzaro | Dean, College of Education |
| Weronika Cwir | Lecturer, Department of Computer Science |
| Emily Acevedo | Director of Academic and Facilities Planning |
| Erick Anzu | Undergrad Rep/Vice President for Finance, Associated Students, Inc. |
| Kenneth Castillo | Staff Senator of the Academic Senate, Chapter President of the California State University Employees Union (CSUEU), and an Equipment System Specialist at Cal State LA |
| Tonatiuh Rodriguez-Nikl | Professor of Civil Engineering in Structural Engineering |
| Zachary Vernon | Associate Professor, College of Arts and Letters |
| Petr Vozka | Assistant Professor, College of Natural and Social Sciences |
| Theresa O'Neil | University Planner in Capital Planning, Design and Construction (Chancelor's Office) |
| Jay Bond | Consultant |