Rita Gallardo Good
Bio
Chair
Dr. Rita Gallardo Good has dedicated more than 35 years to public service, holding leadership positions at various organizations in California, including California State University, Sacramento, state agencies, the California State Senate, and local government agencies in Southern California. She has effectively nurtured relationships, projects, and programs through advocacy for public policy and public administration. She currently serves as the Vice President of Partnerships and Policy Engagement for the Campaign for College Opportunity. In her role, she has played a key role in building partnerships with coalitions, partners, funders, student groups, and trustees of California’s higher education systems.
Before joining the Campaign, her role at Sacramento State was Senior Associate Vice President for the Office of Public Affairs, where she served as the highest-ranking Latina on campus. Her primary objectives included statewide advocacy, leading public-facing initiatives, supporting policy engagement, enhancing the university’s reputation, ensuring access for diverse communities, and promoting student success. Previously, Rita served in various leadership positions, including Assistant Director of Employer Relations at the California Teachers’ Retirement System, Chief of Stakeholder Relations at the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, and Legislative Consultant for then-California State Senator Alex Padilla. She provided leadership and support for outreach, engagement, programming, advocacy, and policy, including support for higher education initiatives.
Rita began her career in Southern California and has been a senior advisor to elected officials and public agencies. She is a first-generation college graduate from Los Angeles Harbor Community College, the University of La Verne, and Sacramento State. Rita is proud to have earned her Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Sacramento State in May 2024.
Passionate about service, Rita serves as a Commissioner for the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, an Advisory Board Member for Leadership California, and an Advisory Council Member for the Creciente Latinx Leadership Program. She has also served on various boards and is an alumna of leadership programs such as Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE) Leadership Institute (Class of 2008), Leadership California’s Policy and Trends Leadership Program (Class of 2010), Nehemiah Emerging Leadership Program (NELP) (Class of 2015), and served on the Board of the Directors for the Chicano Latino Youth Leadership Project for over 10 years.
Rita and her husband, Ross, are enthusiastic about calling Long Beach home and being close to their large circle of family and friends.