Dr. Francisco Rodriguez

Francisco C. Rodriguez, Ph.D. is the Chancellor of the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD), the largest community college district in the nation with nine accredited colleges and over 230,000 student enrollments.

Appointed in 2014, Dr. Rodriguez has raised the District’s profile and built its national reputation as an outstanding urban community college district to study and work. During his tenure, Chancellor Rodriguez has led the efforts for a taxpayer-approved $3.3 billion local facilities bond in 2016 and the hiring of close to 600 full-time, tenure-track faculty. He was a principal architect for the statewide California Promise Program, which was the result of LACCD-sponsored legislation that provides all first-time, full-time California students with two years of tuition-free education at any of the state’s community colleges.

A noted scholar, practitioner and educator-activist, Dr. Rodriguez has 30-plus years of experience as an educator, faculty member, and administrator within California public higher education. He has dedicated his career to high-quality public education and championing equity and inclusion, diversity, and outreach to under-resourced communities. From 2003 to 2014, Dr. Rodriguez served as the Cosumnes River College President in Sacramento, California, and as the Superintendent/President of the MiraCosta Community College District in San Diego. His leadership at both institutions was marked by increased student enrollments, racial and gender diversification of faculty, students and administration, increased support for student success and institutional equity, increased grants and endowments, and robust university, business and community engagement.

During his distinguished career, Dr. Rodriguez has received numerous awards and recognitions for his servant leadership and dedicated service. In 2021, he was named as one of the “LA500” most influential people in Southern California by the Los Angeles Business Journal.

Born and raised in San Francisco, Dr. Rodriguez graduated from the University of California, Davis, with a bachelor’s degree in Chicano Studies and his master’s degree in Community Development. He received his Ph.D. in Education from Oregon State University.