Eduardo M. Ochoa grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina, before moving to Portland, Ore., with his family while in high school. He has earned degrees in physics, nuclear science and economics from Reed College, Columbia University and the New School for Social Research, respectively. He has worked as an engineer, as a faculty member and academic administrator, and as assistant secretary for postsecondary education in the Obama Administration. In 2012, he brought that wide range of academic, professional and personal experience to the position of president of California State University, Monterey Bay. Dr. Ochoa taught at Fresno State University and at California State University, Los Angeles. In 1997, Dr. Ochoa was hired as the dean of Cal Poly Pomona’s College of Business Administration, where he served for six years. He then became provost and vice president for academic affairs at Sonoma State University. In February 2010, President Barack Obama named Dr. Ochoa assistant secretary for postsecondary education. In that post, he served as the secretary’s chief adviser on higher education issues and administered more than 60 programs. Since arriving on campus in July 2012, Dr. Ochoa has moved decisively to deal with the challenges facing Cal State Monterey Bay. His emphasis on inclusion and outreach meshes with both the vision statement of the campus and the realities of serving a student body made up of a majority of first-generation students. He has re-focused attention on raising the university’s retention and graduation rates, while stressing the importance of a rigorous educational experience. Dr. Ochoa has established three broad goals for his presidency: establishing excellence in selected fields in response to regional needs; becoming a national leader in the development of new sustainable models of higher education; and developing the university’s catalytic role in regional, cultural and economic development.