Thuy Nguyen, J.D.

Leading Through Change Panelists - October 23

Thuy Thi Nguyen has served as President of Foothill College since 2016. She is the first Vietnamese American college president in the country. Previously, President Nguyen served as interim General Counsel for the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office and General Counsel for the Peralta Community College District. From January to June 2015, Nguyen took leave from Peralta to serve as Interim President & Chief Executive Officer of the Community College League of California.

Upon Nguyen’s high school graduation, the mayor of Oakland declared June 23, 1993 “Thuy Thi Nguyen Day.” The California State Bar recognized her with its coveted Diversity Award, a recognition given to an individual who has worked to diversify the legal profession. The Carnegie Corporation of New York also recognized Nguyen in its annual “Great Immigrants” tribute in the New York Times on July 4, 2017.

Prior to her work in the California Community College system, Nguyen was an adjunct instructor at CSU, East Bay, and co-published “25 Vietnamese Americans in 25 Years,” which is archived in the Library of Congress.

Nguyen earned her B.A. from Yale University and J.D. from UCLA School of Law.