Carolina Cárdenas Costilla, Ed.D.
Executive Director
Dr. Carolina Cárdenas Costilla serves as the executive director of California GEAR UP and executive director of the California Education Round Table Intersegmental Coordinating Committee (ICC). In this capacity, she plays a critical role in continuing to advance the California GEAR UP program, and the mission of the ICC to coordinate the educational sectors in the state and improve college access and preparation throughout California.
With over three decades of higher education experience, Dr. Cardenas Costilla is an experienced senior leader with extensive expertise providing leadership and oversight of federal and state programs, including a GEAR UP partnership and Upward Bound. She has been a member of the National Council on Community and Educational Partnerships and the Council for Opportunity in Education.
In her previous capacity at the California State University (CSU) Office of the Chancellor, Dr. Cardenas Costilla oversaw and supervised the work of the CSU’s nationally recognized Early Assessment Program. She also managed and implemented the CSU’s Academic Success and Inclusive Excellence (ASIE) department’s strategic plans focused on increasing graduation rates while eliminating opportunity and achievement gaps. Furthermore, she’s a proven leader who has successfully provided oversight, management and leadership for several initiatives and efforts that advance opportunity, including Early Assessment Program, Early Start Program, Quantitative Reasoning Admissions Requirement Proposal, Veteran Affairs Resource Centers, Multiple Measures Policy Communications and the annual CSU High School and Community College Counselor Conferences.
She earned her Doctor of Education from California State University Fullerton, a master’s in public administration from San Diego State University, and a baccalaureate degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz.