From left are Garrett Gatewood, Rancho Cordova City Council member; Dr. J. Luke Wood, California State University at Sacramento president; Dr. Carlos Nevarez, California State University at Sacramento interim provost and vice-president; Anjeleeca Wood, co-Owner and COO of Wood Communications, Rancho Chamber of Commerce board member and sister-in-law to Luke Wood; Erik Swanson, new FCUSD Superintendent; and Diann Rogers, president and CEO of Rancho Chamber.

RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) - In 2023, Dr. J. Luke Wood, 41, left his role as vice-president for student affairs and campus diversity at San Diego State University to become president of California State University at Sacramento.

He talked about his first-year accomplishments at the monthly Rancho Cordova Luncheon on July 19. The luncheons are sponsored by the Cordova Community Council and the Rancho Cordova Area Chamber of Commerce.

Chris Clark, a Folsom Cordova Unified School District Board of Supervisors member, has had the opportunity to work with Wood in the Greater Sacramento Urban League on ways to empower Black and other historically marginalized people throughout the region to attend University of California (UCs) and California State Universities (CSUs).

“I think it’s going to be good for the California State University Sacramento system . . . I feel positive with him coming on board,” Clark said.

Sacramento State is a Hispanic-serving institution, and an Asian American, Native American, Pacific Islander-serving institution. 

“We also happen to be the first institution in California being declared by the California Legislative Assembly as a Black-serving institution . . . Out of all 23 campuses, no one serves more Blacks than we do and we have the second highest population of Black students in the entire state and University of California system, too,” Wood said. 

Based on a collaboration with the California Tribal College, Sacramento State will announce in the fall that it has the largest population of Native American students inside of California.

“So basically,” Wood said, “we’re the people’s university, we’re there for everybody.”

Wood has been reaching out to media at the national level and there are 4,000 more applications this year than last year. He has fostered accomplishments of many types in his year in the presidency: amazing athletic teams, AI training, Combat Youth, Black Honors College, Next Step, Faculty leadership, Guardian Scholars for former foster youth, and Carnegie Foundation Research 2 designation.

In three years, Wood expects Sacramento State to be known as the flagship of the California State Universities system, based on its proximity to the Capitol, the diversity of the students, the increasing and skyrocketing graduation rate, the dedicated faculty and the caring environment.

Someone at the luncheon asked how Wood was able to get so much done in just his first year.  Wood started attending Sacramento State as a student in 2000. 

“By the time I hit 2001, I was obnoxious and telling everyone that I was going to be the president of Sacramento State,” Wood said. “In Sacramento, I’ve been here a year, but in my mind, I’ve been here since 2000.” 

Rancho Cordova City Councilmember Linda Budge presents the key to the City of Rancho Cordova to Dr. Luke Wood, president of California State University at Sacramento, as City Councilmember Garrett Gatewood looks on.

Wood grew up in the foster system.  He was adopted and considers his adopted parents as his mother and father. 

He has met his biological mother three times, “all very brief interactions and mostly not very positive,” Wood said.  He met his biological father in 2020. “The very first time I talked to him, he said, ‘I haven’t been in your life for 37 years but I don’t want to miss a single day.’ He has called me nearly every day since then.”

How did Wood get here from there?  He was mentored by Interim Provost and VP for Academic Affairs Dr. Carlos Nevarez.  They have written books together and at least 10 articles.  He was also influenced by his sixth-grade teacher, Mr. Guggenheimer.

“My first publication as a writer was with him,” Wood said, “and I’m still connected to him to this day.”

Basically, Wood said, “I’m a testament to dumb luck, to investment from others and to the grace of God.”

Wood’s sister-in-law, Anjeleeca, wife of his twin brother, Joshua; attended the Rancho Cordova luncheon. 

“I met my husband and his twin in 2005 at an event in Woodland,” Anjeleeca said.  “They were both recently graduated and had recently served as president (Josh) and vice-president (Luke) of student government at Sac State.”

Wood had something to say about that. 

“At one point in time, my twin brother was the student body president, I was the vice-president of the student body and it’s a funny story,” Wood said. “We were running against one another – basically I had my team, he had his team, and my mom was really upset by it . . . Because she’s like, ‘You guys are tearing apart the family, you guys should be unified, you’re brothers, why would you do this?’  So . . . I took my team, he took his team, and in the evening we met in the burger joint on campus and we took out a coin, my group standing behind me and his group standing behind him, and we flipped a coin to see who would run for president, and I lost, and it was the last time I’ve ever left anything to chance.”