Jane Close Conoley, president of California State University, Long Beach, will retire in June, she announced last week.
“Serving as your president has been the honor of my career and a beautiful capstone for a 49-year professional life I’ve devoted to education,” Conoley said in a statement.
Conoley took office in 2014 and helped the school achieve recognition as a high-research R2 institution and earn a Seal of Excelencia for its work with Latinx students. The school saw a 12% growth in its student population and fundraising campaigns during her tenure.
“President Conoley has demonstrated herself to be an exceptionally skilled, highly principled and truly visionary leader — a person of wisdom, thoughtfulness, empathy and compassion,” CSU Chancellor Mildred García said in a statement.
Before joining CSU Long Beach, Conoley served as interim chancellor at the University of California, Riverside, dean of University of California, Santa Barbara’s Gevirtz Graduate School of Education and, before that, as dean of the College of Education and Human Development at Texas A&M University.
The search for a new president to replace Conoley will begin this winter.
• • •
Camarillo-based wireless network solutions firm GeoLinks has named a new chief executive, Kevin Hetrick. GeoLinks is backed by JLC Infrastructure and Rock Mountain Capital.
“We are thrilled to welcome Kevin Hetrick to the team,” GeoLinks Interim CEO Melinda White said in a statement. “His leadership and expertise in wireless connectivity, network infrastructure and strategic operations is invaluable as GeoLinks enters into a new level of service and operational excellence.”
Hetrick has more than 25 years of telecom experience and has worked at companies like AT&T Inc. and Strategic Venue Partners Inc.
“I’m honored to join GeoLinks at such a pivotal stage,” Hetrick said in a statement. “The company’s strong foundation of innovation and service is exceptional. I look to expand our network reach, advance reliable connectivity and support broadband access across our diverse network, including underserved communities throughout the U.S.”
