Following an extensive national search and interviewing several highly qualified candidates, Cal State San Bernardino has selected Paz Maya Olivérez, senior associate vice president and dean of students at California State Stanislaus, as its new vice president for student affairs. Olivérez will join CSUSB on Aug. 1. “We are delighted to have someone with Dr. Olivérez’s caliber and expertise join CSUSB. It is clear she is ready to make an impact on the lives of our students,” said university President Tomás D. Morales. “In speaking with Paz, she shared how impressed she was with the university’s commitment to student success, and how she is thrilled and honored to join our Coyote family and work with our amazing team of faculty and staff in their commitment to empowering our diverse student population.” “It’s an exciting time to be at Cal State San Bernardino. New facilities and innovative programs provide unique opportunities for collaborating with partners across the university and ensure that we are taking a holistic approach to supporting student success,” Olivérez said. “I am passionate about serving students and look forward to drawing from my background and experience to bolster a thriving campus that is intentional about engaging students in a range of experiences to promote their growth and development.” An accomplished administrator and educator, Olivérez brings a wealth of higher education and CSU experience to CSUSB. Prior to serving as the associate vice president and dean of students, she served as the interim vice president for student affairs at Stanislaus State. Before that, she spent eight years at California State University, Dominguez Hills, where she held several administrative positions including associate vice president for student success.  Olivérez’s leadership experience in education includes: first-year experience, academic advising, career & professional development, EOP, TRiO programs, supplemental instruction, the Diversity Center, basic needs/food pantry, health & wellness, psychological counseling services, athletics, student recreation, student leadership & development, housing, Associated Students Inc. and the student union, and programs to support students with disabilities, former foster youth, undocumented students, and underrepresented males of color. Prior to her career in the California State University, Olivérez held positions as a program analyst for the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education, and as a program evaluator in the Division of Student Services at Long Beach City College. She also served as a program evaluator for STEM Up, an initiative aimed at increasing STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) career awareness and preparation for Latino students in the LAUSD. Olivérez has also been a part-time instructor in the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California and the College of Education at CSUDH. Olivérez began her career in education as a K-12 teacher in northern and central California. She relocated to Los Angeles in 2000 to pursue a doctorate in educational policy at the University of Southern California. As part of her dissertation, which focused on the challenges related to college access and financial aid faced by undocumented high school students in their pursuit of higher education, she was instrumental in developing the “The College & Financial Aid Guide for: AB540 Undocumented Students” along with a state-wide coalition of undocumented students and advocates, which was disseminated to more than 25,000 students, parents, educators, and allies throughout the state of California and beyond. Olivérez’ honors and awards include the 2018 Outstanding First-Year Student Advocate Award, from the University of South Carolina’s National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, and a 2018 Certificate of Recognition from the California Legislature. She is a 2016 graduate of the WASC Assessment Leadership Academy and a 2013 Examples of Excelencia Award from Excelencia in Education. She holds a doctorate in educational policy from the University of Southern California, a master’s degree in counseling from California State University, Long Beach, and a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of California, Santa Cruz.