Meet the Leadership Team
James Todd, PhD
Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs
James Todd has nearly two decades of leadership experience in instruction and student services across California’s community colleges. As vice chancellor of Academic Affairs, he’s responsible for guiding systemwide efforts to enhance teaching and learning, promote academic innovation, strengthen transfer pathways, and expand equitable access to high-quality programs.
Todd most recently served as an assistant vice chancellor for the Educational Services and Support Division. Prior to that, he held executive leadership positions including vice president of Student Services at Modesto Junior College, assistant superintendent/vice president of Instruction and Planning at San Joaquin Delta College, and assistant superintendent/vice president of Student Services at Sierra College. He previously served as a tenured professor of anthropology and as Academic Senate president at Modesto Junior College, and as an elected statewide faculty leader and area representative on the Executive Committee of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges. His leadership includes involvement in national reform efforts such as Achieving the Dream, as well as local implementation of Guided Pathways and other student-centered strategies.
Todd is deeply committed to expanding educational access and opportunities for underserved communities, advancing student success and completion, and building pathways to economic mobility and equitable post-graduation outcomes.
Todd holds an associate degree from Brevard Community College; a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and international relations from New College of Florida; a master’s degree in anthropology and international development from The George Washington University; and a doctoral degree in cultural anthropology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. He has also completed the Harvard Institute for Educational Management, the California Education Policy Fellowship Program, and the Aspen Presidential Fellowship for Community College Excellence.
Renee Craig-Marius, EdD
Vice Chancellor of Student Services and Support
Renee Craig-Marius, EdD., is a transformational leader and catalyst for change who is deeply committed to dismantling structural and institutional barriers to student success. Dedicated to improving social and economic mobility, she focuses on ensuring students from all backgrounds, particularly those from historically marginalized communities, can access, persist in and succeed in postsecondary education.
Craig-Marius brings more than 32 years of experience in higher education, including 29 years in the California Community Colleges system, where she has advanced equity-centered policies, redesigned institutional processes and fostered student-centered cultures. Most recently, as assistant superintendent/vice president of Student Services at Gavilan College, she led comprehensive student services initiatives to create an educational environment centered on community, connection and belonging.
During her tenure at State Center Community College District, she served as a tenured counseling faculty member, counseling department chair, dean of Students, dean of Student Success and Learning, and vice president of Student Services. In those roles, she helped transform institutional structures to improve the student experience. A leader in implementing Guided Pathways strategies, equitable dual enrollment programs and innovative student services technology platforms, she has extensive experience leading large-scale reforms that unify disparate systems by embedding equity-driven decision-making into institutional strategy. She also served as a core team member for the Vision Aligned Reporting Academy, guiding colleges as they build capacity to close equity gaps through data-informed practices.
Her commitment to education extends beyond community colleges and includes roles in outreach services and TRIO programs within the California State University system, clinical practice in mental health agencies, and case management and employment services for adults and youth through community-based organizations. As a scholar-practitioner, she remains closely connected to the field through teaching, mentoring and supporting aspiring community college leaders.
Craig-Marius has been recognized for her contributions to education and the community. She was inducted into the Wall of Honor at the African American Historical and Cultural Museum of the San Joaquin Valley in 2019 and received the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Woman of Excellence Award from Bethany Community Church in Gilroy in 2024. A member of the 2020 Aspen Institute Presidential Fellowship and the 2024 cohort of the UC Davis Wheelhouse Advancing Leaders Institute, she remains committed to helping individuals achieve success through the power of education.
Craig-Marius holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in counseling from California State University, Fresno, and a Doctor of Education in organizational leadership from the University of Massachusetts Global. Her doctoral research examined the culturally responsive leadership strategies used by senior-level leaders of color in the California Community Colleges system.