New president selected to lead Stanislaus State

The California State University board of trustees announced Wednesday that Britt Rios-Ellis would serve as the next president of Stanislaus State.

Rios-Ellis is currently a provost and executive vice president of academic affairs at Oakland University, a public institution in Michigan. At Stanislaus State, she is replacing interim President Susan Borrego, who has held the position since Ellen Junn’s retirement in 2023.

“I am both honored and humbled to serve this outstanding university alongside the talented faculty, staff, administrators and students at Stanislaus State, and to be the first new president selected under the leadership of Chancellor Mildred García,” said Rios-Ellis. “I am eager to get to know the Turlock and Stockton communities and work together to ensure that the positive impact of our students’ and the university’s overall success is felt profoundly throughout the region.”

Prior to her work in Michigan, Rios-Ellis was dean of the College of Health Sciences and Human Service at CSU Monterey Bay from 2014 to 2020. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and Spanish, a master’s degree in health and fitness management, and a doctoral degree in community health, all from the University of Oregon.

Rios-Ellis’s presidency will begin July 1.