Pasadena Resident and Cal State LA Dean Named Hispanic Association Leadership Academy Fellow

Stephen M. Trzaskoma, a Pasadena resident and dean at California State University, Los Angeles, has been selected as a 2025–26 Fellow of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities Leadership Academy/La Academia de Liderazgo.

The prestigious fellowship, supported by the Mellon Foundation and Capital One, prepares higher education leaders for senior and executive roles. Fellows will participate in webinars and three in-person seminars, beginning in November at the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities’ 39th Annual Conference in Aurora, Colorado. Additional sessions will be held in Washington, D.C., and at an international location to be announced.

“It is difficult to imagine an organization that has done more than the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities to support Latino success in higher education,” Trzaskoma said. “Being named a fellow reflects Cal State LA’s mission and values as a Hispanic-Serving Institution committed to equity, access, and student success.”

Trzaskoma serves as dean of the College of Arts and Letters and interim dean of the College of Natural and Social Sciences at Cal State LA. He joined the university in 2022 and brings more than 20 years of academic leadership experience. Previously, he directed the Center for the Humanities at the University of New Hampshire, where he was a professor of classics and received multiple teaching awards.

A scholar of ancient Greek prose fiction and mythology, Trzaskoma’s research has been supported by the American Council of Learned Societies, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Loeb Classical Library Foundation. He has championed equity, justice, and sustainability through interdisciplinary collaboration and community-connected scholarship.

“La Academia de Liderazgo is legendary for shaping leadership in diverse institutions,” he said. “I’m enormously grateful for the opportunity to share and learn with my cohort.” He also expressed appreciation to Cal State LA President Berenecea Johnson Eanes for her support.

Cal State LA earned the Seal of Excelencia in 2023 for its commitment to Latino student success. The university has been a member of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities since 1989 and is affiliated with the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education.