Commission Members

Patrick Day currently serves as the Vice President for Student Affairs at San José State University where he is responsible for units focused on co-curricular learning, enrollment management, and a critical array of student services.  Prior to joining SJSU in 2018, his career in higher education spanned 25 years and took him to a diverse set of institutions across the United States.  Most recently, he served as the Vice President for Student Life at University of the Pacific, and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

Audrey Dow is the Senior Vice President of the Campaign for College Opportunity, a California-based policy and research organization that ensures more students go to college and succeed. As a member of the Executive Team, she has broad responsibilities for co-leading the organizations’ strategic direction, robust research agenda, and for leading strategic media, communications and coalition building efforts. At the Campaign, she has led successful campaigns to end the use of the SAT/ACT in admissions at the University of California and California State University, ushering in remedial education and transfer reform at California’s community colleges, urgently prioritizing the hiring of racially/ethnic and gender diverse faculty, college and university leaders across California’s public institutions of higher education, and reforming financial aid to serve more low-income students regardless of when or where they go to college. She has been a principal author and contributed to numerous watershed reports on higher education and racial/ethnic inequity.

Hal Geiogue brings to the commission more than three decades of experience in formulating education and fiscal policy for the state of California.

He started his public service in 1965 with the state Department of Finance. From 1967 through 1990 Geiogue then served in the Office of Legislative Analyst where he directed a staff of nonpartisan professionals who were responsible for the program and budget review of K-12 education and postsecondary education institutions and programs in California. In 1979 and 1980 he was the co-chairperson of the Student Financial Aid Policy Study Group which helped reform the state’s student financial aid system.

Guillermo Mayer is President & CEO of Public Advocates Inc., a nonprofit civil rights law firm and advocacy group committed to challenging the systemic causes of poverty and discrimination. Under his leadership, the organization has expanded its advocacy into postsecondary education, with the goal of expanding college access, affordability and success for low-income students and students of color in California. Previously, Guillermo worked as member of the Public Advocates’ legal team for more than 9 years advancing litigation and policy efforts to increase funding and promote equitable decision-making in K-12 education and public transportation.

Dr. Nies is the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs. He has responsibility for areas that create an engaged campus life and that foster student learning outside of the classroom.

He has worked in higher education for over 25 years in a variety of roles. He was the dean of students at a small private college, a program director for a minor in leadership studies, and an assistant dean of an interdisciplinary school at a large public university. As an instructor, he has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in leadership theory, organizational theory, student development, and social identity development. He has served as a consultant to a number of universities, non-profit organizations, and public agencies.

Angel Rodriguez was appointed to the California Student Aid Commission by Governor Newsom in March 2021. Angel, a son of immigrants from Mexico City, has served as Senior Director of Marketing, Public Affairs & Government Relations at the San Bernardino Community College District since 2016.