Chao Vang currently serves as the Assistant Vice President of Educational Equity Programs and Student Success at California State University, Sacramento. In this role, Chao is responsible for providing broad oversight of global outreach, access, and student success initiatives to advance educational opportunities and equity. He also provides oversight to student success initiatives in the External Relations area and build relationships across multiple sectors to support the institution’s priority focus on student success to close the attainment gap and support equity students, projects, and practices that advance success for educational equity students and their communities.

Prior to his appointment, Chao served as the Director of Educational Equity Access and Equity Strategist and was a university lecturer at Sacramento State. As a former teacher, he taught K-12 students at Sacramento City Unified School District and at Natomas Unified School District, in addition to serving as the school site lead and Instructional Coach for the International Baccalaureate Program.

Chao has authored and published numerous literatures and a chapter book that is currently used in the Ethnic Studies curriculum at a local school district. His most recent work includes a research report on identifying evidence-based best practices to support Hmong and Southeast Asian college students. Chao’s dissertation also received honors by AERA for excellence in research and his body of work and areas of research have been featured in publications including the Washington Post, Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate, and PBS as well as presentations to health care providers at Kaiser Permanente and numerous K-12 and community organizations. Chao continues to serve as a committee member to students pursuing and completing their thesis and dissertation research.

Chao was awarded the 2023 Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce Emerging Leader of the Year, the Sacramento Bee Top 25 AAPI Change Makers and California College Personnel Association Outstanding Dedication to Equity and Social Justice Award. He is a four-time alum of Sacramento State, receiving his Doctorate in the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, master’s degree, teaching credential, and undergraduate degree and is a fellow with the Executive Leadership Academy, Center for Studies in Higher Education at University of California, Berkeley.

Chao brings together a unique appreciation and cultural understanding of K-16 and community needs in the region to improve graduation rates, eliminate equity gaps in degree completion and meet California’s workforce needs. Currently, he serves on numerous state and community-based boards as a board member working to amplify and support the needs of the community.