Janet Napolitano

President, University of California

Janet Napolitano is the 20th President of the University of California, and the first woman to serve in this role. She leads a university system of 10 campuses, five medical centers, three affiliated national laboratories, and a statewide agriculture and natural resources program. A distinguished public servant, Napolitano previously served as the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, as Governor of Arizona, as Attorney General of Arizona, and as U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona. Napolitano launched an initiative to accelerate the translation of UC research into new businesses and inventions that benefit the public good. She has also upheld the university's legacy of leadership on global climate action, putting UC on a path to 100 percent reliance on clean electricity across all campuses and medical centers by 2025. Napolitano earned a B.S. degree from Santa Clara University and received her law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law. In 2015, she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and in 2017, she was inducted into the American Philosophical Association. Napolitano is the author of How Safe Are We: Homeland Security Since 9/11, published in March 2019.