Lisa Cardoza proudly serves as the President of American River College in the Los Rios Community College District. She previously served as Vice President for University Advancement at California State University, Sacramento and Executive Officer for The University Foundation at Sacramento State, overseeing Alumni Relations, Annual Giving and Communications, University Development, Principal Gifts and Campaign, and Advancement Services. She led the University toward completion of its very first, successful comprehensive fundraising campaign, On the Rise: The Campaign for Sacramento State, which exceeded its $225 million goal by raising nearly $240 million. She joined Sacramento State in 2015, primarily serving as President Robert S. Nelsen’s Chief of Staff and holding interim Vice President roles in Advancement (2017) and Human Resources (2018-2019).
Lisa serves on the Board of Directors of Improve Your Tomorrow, Greater Sacramento Urban League, Girl Scouts Heart of Central California, and Nueva Epoca, as well as on the Executive Committee for the 1300 Campaign. She is also a Senior Fellow of the Mountain Valley American Leadership Forum (ALF), Class XXII.
Prior to arriving at Sacramento State, Lisa worked at The University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA) in the areas of outreach and college access, enrollment and student services, governmental relations and as chief of staff. She held state Board of Director positions with the Texas Women in Higher Education and the Texas Lyceum.
Lisa earned her doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. She graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a Master of Arts in Social Sciences of Education. She is also the very proud mother of two boys – Gabriel, a recent graduate of the University of Texas San Antonio (UTSA), and Diego, a senior in the San Juan Unified School District.