Office of the President

President Richard A. Carvajal

Richard A. Carvajal succeeds Tom Jackson, Jr. as the ninth president of Cal Poly Humboldt.

Carvajal is a first-generation college graduate and most recently served as president of Valdosta State University since 2017, where he led a campuswide consultative goal-setting and strategic planning effort that paved the way for a seven-percent increase in freshman retention and continuous year-over-year increases in enrollment. Under his leadership, Valdosta State has added programs in data science and other in-demand STEM fields and has significantly increased hands-on learning opportunities for all majors, while retaining and strengthening programs in the arts, business and the health sciences.

Prior to leading Valdosta State, Carvajal served a year as interim president at Darton State College where he was appointed to lead a historic consolidation that resulted in the creation of a new master’s-granting university. He also served as president of Bainbridge State College and held senior leadership roles in student success, enrollment management, and student affairs at Cascadia College, Independence Community College, Coker University, and Eureka College.

Carvajal has also served in government and public affairs positions, including as a Lyndon B. Johnson Congressional Fellow in the U.S. House of Representatives, and is a frequent national speaker on leadership, student success, mental health care in high education, and community partnerships.

Education
Ph.D., Educational Administration (Higher Education), University of South Carolina
M.S., Southern Illinois University Carbondale
B.S., East Central University

Cal Poly Humboldt Land Acknowledgement

We acknowledge that Cal Poly Humboldt is located on the unceded lands of the Wiyot people, where they have resided from time immemorial. We encourage all to gain a deeper understanding of their history and thriving culture. As an expression of our gratitude, we are genuinely committed to developing trusting, reciprocal, and long-lasting partnerships with the Wiyot people as well as all of our neighboring tribes.

About the land acknowledgement

NAGPRA

Compliance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and the California Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (CalNAGPRA) is a top priority for Cal Poly Humboldt. To support this work, a full-time coordinator was hired to lead our NAGPRA efforts. Throughout 2024, our focus was on meaningful consultation with Tribal Nations to document and repatriate the collections. In 2024 and 2025, an extensive campuswide survey and prioritized physical searches of the campus were conducted to identify any Native American cultural items or human remains that had previously gone unreported. As of January 2026, the University has repatriated a total of 9,411 cultural items—about 40% of the campus’ total collections. While this represents important progress, we recognize that more work remains, and we are committed to continuing these efforts to meet our responsibilities under NAGPRA and CalNAGPRA.

Learn more about NAGPRA

NAGPRA Coordinator