The Speakers

Dr. Wood became Sacramento State’s ninth president on July 16, 2023, returning to his alma mater, at age 41, as the youngest person ever to lead the University and the youngest permanent president in all of the nation’s public four-year colleges and universities.

He earned a bachelor’s in Black History and master’s degree in Higher Education Leadership at Sac State, then a Masters of Education in Early Childhood Education and doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Arizona State.

Dr. Wood served as a professor and administrator, including vice president for Student Affairs and Campus Diversity, at San Diego State before becoming Sac State president. He has authored 16 books and published over 180 articles, book chapters, and other scholarly works focusing on racial inequality issues in education. This academic record led him to be named the first Black distinguished professor in San Diego State’s history.

In 2023, Wood was appointed by the California State Senate to serve on the California Racial Equity Commission. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity Inc and an amateur boxer. 

Dr. Helen P. Young, possess over 25 years of experience in the field of education as a counselor, director, and administrator.

Dr. Young is the daughter of a career military officer and spent much of her early childhood traveling around the world. Her family finally settled in Long Beach, California where she graduated from Jordan High School. Dr. Young holds a Master Degree in Education Counseling and Bachelor degree in Human Services & Adolescent Counseling both from California State University, Dominguez Hills and a Doctorate Degree from San Diego State University in Community College Educational Leadership.

Dr. Young began her career in education as a College Admissions Counselor for Northrop/Rice Institute in 1990 where she was responsible for outreach and recruitment of incoming freshmen and developed a love for counseling. She began her counseling career at Sacred Heart High School in East Los Angeles in 1991. In 1994 she became Director of Counseling and Assistant Principal at St. Monica High School in Santa Monica where she served for the next 6 years. In 2002, Dr. Young began working as an academic counselor at West Los Angeles College and went on to serve as the Transfer Center & Honors Director in 2011 for five years. She has served on numerous committees at the local, district, regional and state levels advocating on transfer related topics and issues. In 2016 she began serving as the Project Director for the state sponsored grant California Community College Transfer Guarantee to Historically Black Colleges and Universities program. In 2019 Dr. Young along with two other California Community College colleagues, founded Pipelines to Possibilities (P2P) a graduate internship program to prepare HBCU graduate students for careers in the California Community College system

Dr. Young also serves as the Program Director for the College Preparatory Academy for The Young Center for Academic and Cultural Enrichment, a non-profit foundation that provides educational development and opportunities to a diverse population of California youth. She oversees the college preparation and readiness programs for students in the southern California area.

Dr. Young has received awards and accolades from groups and organizations, across the state which include the California State University Northridge Women’s Studies Student Assoc. Black Herstory Award (2006), SDSU George Boggs Award for Exemplary Research and Practice (2023), African American California Community College Trustees and Administrators Association/Black Caucus Distinguished Contribution Award (2024), and the Los Angeles Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Incorporated Community Service Award (2024).

Dr. Young believes “education is the key to unlock the doors to opportunity and success, especially for those who have been under-served and overlooked in our society.” She believes that the pursuit of excellence is a lifelong commitment that will inevitably result in success.

Dr. Young resides in Los Angeles with her husband, William Allen Young of 37 years. She is the proud mother of two adult sons Jamal and Kahlil and grandmother of Gema Nova. 

 Dr. Franklin Garrett serves as the Associate Dean of Student Support Services at the San Diego College of Continuing Education, where he oversees overseas student support programs such as the CalWORKs program and a diverse array of affinity programs and support services. He is a first-generation college student who has dedicated his career to supporting student development and achievement. He has 18 years of experience as a counselor, advisor, college instructor, program coordinator, and student affairs director. His experience in higher education includes strategic planning, multicultural counseling, advising, and student services coordination. Dr. Garrett received his bachelor's in sociology and his master's degree in education with an emphasis on multicultural counseling at San Diego State University, as well as his doctorate in educational leadership from UC San Diego/CSU San Marcos. His scholarship is on the persistence factors for first-generation African American students and student success strategies.