Alumni Trustee Nominations


The term of Interim Alumni Trustee Larry Adamson will conclude on June 30, 2020 and, as one of the most important duties of the CSU Alumni Council, they will be electing an Alumni Trustee for the term July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2022.

The nomination period ends on November 1, 2019.

The CSU Board of Trustees

The California State University is governed by the CSU Board of Trustees which is charged by state law with broad policy oversight of the university and its 23 campuses. The board has authority over curricular development, use of property, development of facilities, and fiscal and human resources management. There are 25 trustees. The Alumni Trustee is elected by the volunteer members of the CSU Alumni Council and serves a two-year term that can be renewed by the Alumni Council up to three additional times (a total of eight years).

CSUEB Nominating Committee


The Executive Director of Alumni Engagement and the President of the Alumni Association Board will facilitate the nomination process and may submit up to two candidates to the board to recommend to the Alumni Council.

CSUEB Nomination Process

All candidates for Alumni Trustee must submit their nomination by Wednesday, October 30, 2019 to Richard Watters, Executive Director of Alumni Engagement at richard.watters@csueastbay.edu.

Nomination submissions must include the following:

  1. Nominee’s name, address, telephone number, and email address.
  2. A statement confirming graduation from a CSU campus.
  3. A statement from the campus indicating the nominee has received a copy of the Alumni Trustee Roles & Responsibilities and is interested in being considered for the position.
  4. A statement from the nominee regarding their professional and community achievements and campus service. Refer to the Qualities of a CSU Alumni Trustee Candidate in the Alumni Trustee Selection Policy and the Alumni Trustee Roles & Responsibilities. The statement should demonstrate how the nominee meets these criteria and why they would make an excellent Alumni Trustee. This statement should be no longer than 3 pages.
  5. A current résumé
  6. Two professional letters of recommendation
  7. Signed copy of the CSU Alumni Trustee Candidate Affirmation Form


Nominations will be evaluated on the application requirements above. Incomplete or late applications will be disqualified. Do not submit additional materials such as photos, media articles, etc. These will be discarded and not considered.

The Alumni Association Board will review the recommendation(s) from the nominating committee at its November 4, 2019 board meeting. If a nominee is recommended by the board to the Alumni Council, the nominee(s) will be reviewed by the Trustee Selection and Evaluation Committee (TSEC) of the California State University Alumni Council.

TSEC Evaluation Process & Timeline


Initial Evaluation: After the closing of the application period for campus nominations on Friday,
November 22, 2019, the TSEC will meet to review all nominees and select semi-finalists. All candidates will be notified of their status the week of December 16, 2019.

Semi-Finalist Interviews: Semi-finalists will be invited to interview with the TSEC and finalists will be selected. Semi-finalist interviews will take place on Wednesday-Thursday, January 15-16, 2020 at the Chancellor’s Office in Long Beach.

Finalist Interviews: The finalists will be interviewed by the entire Alumni Council Board of Directors during the Annual Meeting on Friday, March 13, 2020.

Selection Criteria

The following “Qualities of a CSU Alumni Trustee Candidate,” are used for evaluating candidates for the position of Alumni Trustee:

  • Candidate must be an alumnus/a of the California State University system, willing to serve, and nominated by a campus in the CSU system. Alumnus/alumna status is defined as having earned a degree from a CSU campus. The Alumni Trustee shall not currently be an employee of the CSU at any time during their term.
  • Candidate for the position of Alumni Trustee should have demonstrated records of excellence in professional achievement, community service, and service to their university. He/she should have documented successful high-level fiscal stewardship.
  • Candidate should possess a breadth and depth of management experience, judgment, maturity, and team concept experience.
  • Candidate should possess the qualities of prudence and reason, but not be afraid to take calculated risks when necessary—a “focused visionary.”
  • Candidate should be a person of proven influence and integrity, articulate, and task-oriented. He/she should feel comfortable working in a political environment and should be at ease with corporate leaders, legislators, and leaders in the academic community. State and/or national level experience in business, government, non-profit, or academic leadership is a plus.
  • Candidate should exhibit a solid, long-standing commitment to post-secondary education, and demonstrated leadership in issues affecting higher education at the CSU.
  • Candidate should have the ability to meet the commitments related to the obligations of the office as defined in the Alumni Trustee Roles & Responsibilities.
  • Candidates for the Alumni Trustee position should be prepared to abide by the Alumni Council and Board of Trustees Code of Conduct documents.
  • Candidate should have a strong understanding of the objectives and purposes of the CSU Alumni Council and demonstrated leadership in supporting those objectives and purposes.


CSU Alumni Council Timeline for Alumni Trustee Selection Process


  • Tues, April 23, 2019: Trustee Selection & Evaluation Committee (TSEC) reviews options and decides the process for bringing vote to full board
  • Thurs, May 30, 2019: Full board convenes by conference call to vote on process and candidate
  • Thurs, May 30, 2019: Interim Alumni Trustee takes office
  • July – August, 2019: TSEC reviews and approves documentation, requirements, procedures and timeline for election. Executive Committee approves any changes to policy.
  • Mon, August 26, 2019: Memo outlining Alumni Trustee selection process sent to Chancellor, Presidents, Vice Presidents for Advancement, and Trustee Selection & Evaluation Committee members
  • Tues, August 27, 2019: Application packets sent to campus Alumni Associations
  • Tues, September 3, 2019: Alumni Trustee applications open to campuses
  • Fri, November 22, 2019, 5 p.m. Pacific Standard Time: Nominee applications due to Alumni Council
  • Wed, December 11, 2019: Trustee Selection & Evaluation Committee meets (conference call) to review candidates and select semi-finalists
  • Week of December 16, 2019: All candidates informed of status (decline further review or selection as semi-finalist)
  • Wed-Thurs, January 15-16, 2020: Interviews of semi-finalist candidates at Chancellor’s Office
  • Wed, February 12, 2020: Notice of Trustee Selection & Evaluation Committee recommendation(s) for Alumni Trustee finalists provided to Board no later than this date.
  • Fri, March 13, 2020: Annual Meeting and election of Alumni Trustee. Board interviews finalists. Nominations are allowed from the floor. Volunteers are the only votes.
  • Tues-Wed, May 12-13, 2020: Introduce Alumni Trustee-elect at Board of Trustees meeting
  • Wed, July 1, 2020: Term of newly elected Alumni Trustee begins.
  • As Needed: Trustee Selection & Evaluation Committee convenes to review Alumni Trustee.