Su Jin Jez

Su Jin Jez is the corporate executive officer (CEO) of California Competes. Dr. Jez leads the organization’s work to develop nonpartisan and financially pragmatic recommendations for improved higher education and workforce policies and practices across California. Prior to leading California Competes, she spent over a decade as a professor of public policy and administration at California State University, Sacramento (CSUS). She also served as director of the CSU Student Success Network, academic advisor for the CSUS California Executive Fellows Program, and program associate director of the CSUS Sacramento State Doctorate in Educational Leadership. Dr. Jin is an accomplished researcher who has been widely published in leading academic journals and provides guidance to California’s higher education institutions and leadership through her applied research. In recognition of her contributions to transforming higher education to meet the needs of today’s society, economy, and diverse student population, she received the 2023 Stanford Alumni Excellence in Education Award from the Stanford Graduate School of Education and was previously honored by the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) with the 2021 Pamela Tate Rise Award for her leadership in advancing policy solutions that expand working adults’ access to higher education and economic mobility. She currently serves on the following boards and councils: California’s Cradle-to-Career Data System Governing Board, Credential Engine’s Board of Directors, Tipping Point Community’s Leadership Council, CAEL’s Advisory Council, the Campaign for College Opportunity’s Policy Research Advisory Board, and the WCCUSD LCAP Committee. Dr. Jin holds a PhD in education administration and policy analysis and an MA in economics jointly from Stanford University along with a BA in statistics and a minor in public policy from the University of California, Berkeley.

updated 2024