J. Luke Wood

J. Luke Wood
Wood (left)
9th President of California State University, Sacramento
Incumbent
Assumed office
May 2023
Preceded byRobert S. Nelsen
Personal details
BornJonathan Luke Wood
(1982-02-21) February 21, 1982
Oakland, California, U.S.
EducationCalifornia State University, Sacramento (BA, MA)
Arizona State University (PhD)
Academic background
ThesisAfrican American males in the community college: Towards a model of academic success (2010)
Caroline Turner
Academic work
Institutions

Jonathan Luke Wood (born February 21, 1982), known professionally as J. Luke Wood, is an American social scientist and academic administrator who has served as the ninth president of Sacramento State since 2023.[1][2] Before becoming president, Wood served as vice president for Student Affairs and Campus Diversity and chief diversity officer at San Diego State University.[1]

Career

Wood joined San Diego State University in 2011 as a professor in the Department of Administration, Rehabilitation and Postsecondary Education. In 2012, he became co-director, with Frank Harris III, of the Community College Equity Assessment Lab, a research and practice center focused on equity gaps affecting students of color.[1][3]

In 2017, Wood became the first Black faculty member to be named a Distinguished Professor at San Diego State. He served as San Diego State's chief diversity officer from 2018 and was named vice president for Student Affairs and Campus Diversity in 2020.[3]

Along with Frank Harris III, Wood is credited with coining the term "racelighting", which they define as racialized gaslighting.[4][5]

Wood served as the lead co-sponsor, through the Black Minds Matter Coalition, of California Assembly Bill 740, a 2022 law concerning school suspension and expulsion procedures for foster youth.[6]

Black Minds Matter

In 2017, Wood taught a nationally broadcast course titled Black Minds Matter: A Focus on Black Boys and Men in Education.[7] The course focused on educational issues affecting Black boys and men and included guest speakers such as Shaun R. Harper, Ilyasah Shabazz, Patrisse Cullors, Jerlando F. L. Jackson, S. Lee Merritt, and Frank Harris III.[8][7]

Sacramento State presidency

Wood became president of California State University, Sacramento in 2023. In 2024, he announced the Sacramento State Black Honors College, which the university described as his vision and the first program of its kind in the United States.[9][10]

In 2024, Wood proposed student fee increases as part of what he called an "urgent financial situation". KCRA reported that the proposal included a $500-per-semester fee for in-state students and double that amount for out-of-state and international students for three years, and that some students said they could barely afford college after a separate California State University tuition increase.[11] In September 2024, The State Hornet reported that Wood approved four of five proposed mandatory student fee increases after meeting with the Student Fee Advisory Committee. The approved increases applied to intercollegiate athletics, instructionally related activities, recreational sports, and student health services; a proposed $500-per-semester nonresident fee for out-of-state and international students was rejected after the committee cited a lack of student support. The State Hornet reported that the approved fee increases were expected to total $508 per student over three years and take effect in fall 2025.[12]

Sacramento State also faced a budget deficit and announced reductions across campus operations. In April 2025, Wood announced a financial plan addressing layoffs, possible student fees, and other revenue sources. The State Hornet reported that Wood confirmed the university faced a $37 million deficit for the 2025-2026 fiscal year and that most divisions would receive approximately 22 percent budget cuts, with Academic Affairs taking a smaller reduction over two years. The plan included the elimination or merger of 28 management positions, with 15 employees terminated, and Wood said additional positions could be merged or cut.[13] The same report said Wood had discussed a proposed Student Success Fee across colleges, which would be voted on by students and would fund services such as retention programs and additional class sections.[13]

Wood's administration pursued moving Sacramento State football from the Football Championship Subdivision to the Football Bowl Subdivision through the Mid-American Conference. The proposal drew scrutiny over its financial terms, including an $18 million conference entry fee, a $5 million NCAA transition fee, travel obligations for visiting conference opponents, and the absence of conference revenue during the five-year agreement.[14][15] CBS Sports reported that Collegiate Consulting CEO Russell Wright said Sacramento State's publicized $975 million athletic economic impact figure was a mischaracterization of the study his firm provided, and that he questioned the source of the university's $675 million national broadcast valuation claim.[14] SFGate reported that Wood had publicly promoted the move and shared the university's economic-impact figures on social media.[16]

In 2025, Wood announced a two-year on-campus housing requirement for incoming first-year students beginning in fall 2026. The policy requires incoming first-year, non-transfer students to live in university housing for their first two academic years, with local-residency exemptions for students living with immediate family within 50 miles of campus in the 2026-2027 academic year and 30 miles beginning in 2027-2028.[17][18] CapRadio reported that Wood said the policy was intended to address students' basic needs and improve academic success by giving students greater access to housing, advising, tutoring, and campus resources.[19] The requirement prompted student criticism and protests over affordability, housing availability, and commuting options.[20]

Personal life

Wood was born in Oakland, California, and raised in McCloud, California, a small town in Siskiyou County.[21] A former foster child and transracial adoptee, he and his identical twin brother Josh were adopted as infants by a white Bay Area couple and later moved to McCloud.[22] Sacramento State said Wood grew up in a large foster home that served more than 350 children.[21]

While attending Sacramento State, Wood and Josh played in an alternative rock and funk band called Freestate and were involved in student government, with Josh serving as student body president and Luke serving as vice president.[22] In 2026, The Sacramento Bee described Josh as a Rancho Cordova developer.[23]

Wood met his future wife, San Diego State University professor Idara Essien-Wood, while both were students at Sacramento State.[3] They have three children.[3] Wood is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and an amateur boxer.[24]

Publications

According to his Sacramento State biography, Wood has authored or edited 16 books and published more than 200 scholarly works.[25] His books include:

  • Black Minds Matter: Realizing the Brilliance, Dignity, and Morality of Black Males in Education[26]
  • Teaching boys and young men of color: A guidebook[27][28]
  • Teaching men of color in the community college: A guidebook[29]
  • Advancing Black male student success from preschool through PhD[30]
  • Black men in higher education: A guide to ensuring success[31]
  • Ethical leadership and the community colleges: Paradigms, decision-making, and praxis[32]
  • Black male collegians: Increasing access, retention, and persistence in higher education[33]
  • STEM models of success: Programs, policies, and practices in the community college[34]
  • Leadership theory and the community college: Applying theory to practice[35]
  • Community colleges and STEM: Examining underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities[36]
  • Black men in college: Implications for HBCU's and beyond[37]
  • Black males in post-secondary education: Examining their experiences in diverse institutional contexts[38]
  • Community College Leadership and Administration: Theory, Practice and Change[39]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "J. Luke Wood Appointed President of California State University, Sacramento". California State University. May 24, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  2. ↑ "Office of the President". Sacramento State. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Morita, Jennifer K. (May 24, 2023). "Alumnus J. Luke Wood is appointed Sacramento State's next president". Sacramento State. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Racelighting and Inauthentic Allyship: How to Recognize It, and How to Change It". Diverse: Issues In Higher Education. April 14, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Racelighting: Three Common Strategies Racelighters Use". Diverse: Issues In Higher Education. March 30, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Bill Text - AB-740 Foster youth: suspension and expulsion". California Legislative Information. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  7. 1 2 Gomez, Luis (August 29, 2017). "'Black Minds Matter' under fire from conservative group". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Black Lives Matter Movement Inspires SDSU Class On Black Minds In Education". KPBS. Archived from the original on February 14, 2018. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
  9. ↑ "About The Black Honors College". Sacramento State. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Sacramento State launches first Black Honors College". KCRA. February 15, 2024. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  11. ↑ Bandur, Michelle (August 15, 2024). "Sacramento State weighs fee increase for students". KCRA. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  12. ↑ Wallace, Analah; Micek, Greg (September 16, 2024). "BREAKING: Sac State President Luke Wood announces 4 of 5 student fee increases approved". The State Hornet. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  13. 1 2 Brumbaugh, Finneas; Wallace, Analah (April 10, 2025). "President Luke Wood updates financial plan to navigate $37 million deficit". The State Hornet. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  14. 1 2 Johnson, Richard (February 23, 2026). "Sacramento State's FBS move clouded in uncertainty amid questionable financial estimates". CBS Sports. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  15. ↑ Simon, Alex (February 26, 2026). "California's first new D1 college football team in 52 years comes at a wild cost". SFGate. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  16. ↑ Simon, Alex (February 26, 2026). "California's first new D1 college football team in 52 years comes at a wild cost". SFGate. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Live On Requirement". Sacramento State. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Starting in 2026, Sac State freshmen must live two years on campus". CapRadio. November 4, 2025. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Starting in 2026, Sac State freshmen must live two years on campus". CapRadio. November 4, 2025. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  20. ↑ Smith, Aaron; Biebl, Annie; Rivera, Andrea (November 24, 2025). "Protestors and President Luke Wood standoff over housing requirement and affordability". The State Hornet. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  21. 1 2 "Office of the President". Sacramento State. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  22. 1 2 Loudenback, Jeremy (September 25, 2025). "Luke Wood, Former Foster Child-turned University President, Has Made His Sac State Campus a Welcome Place". The Imprint. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  23. ↑ Merrilees, Annika (January 5, 2026). "Rancho Cordova to consider waiving developers' fees for indoor soccer project". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  24. ↑ "Keynote Speakers". Council for Advancement and Support of Education. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  25. ↑ "Office of the President". Sacramento State. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Black Minds Matter | RedShelf". www.redshelf.com. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  27. ↑ Wood, J. L.; Harris III, F. (2016). Teaching boys and young men of color: A guidebook.
  28. ↑ "Teaching Boys and Young Men of Color Guidebook". M2C3. June 3, 2016. Archived from the original on August 5, 2016. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  29. ↑ Wood, J. L.; Harris III, F.; White, K. (2015). Teaching men of color in the community college: A guidebook.
  30. ↑ "Stylus/Stylus Publishing – Advancing Black Male Student Success From Preschool Through Ph.D." sty.presswarehouse.com. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  31. ↑ "Black Men in Higher Education: A Guide to Ensuring Student Success (Paperback) – Routledge". Routledge.com. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  32. ↑ "IAP / Book / Ethical Leadership and the Community College". www.infoagepub.com. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  33. ↑ "Black Male Collegians: Increasing Access, Retention, and Persistence in Higher Education: ASHE Higher Education Report 40:3". Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  34. ↑ "IAP / Book / STEM Models of Success". www.infoagepub.com. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  35. ↑ "Stylus/Stylus Publishing – Leadership Theory and the Community College: Applying Theory to Practice". sty.presswarehouse.com. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  36. ↑ "Community Colleges and STEM: Examining Underrepresented Racial and Ethnic Minorities (Hardback) – Routledge". Routledge.com. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  37. ↑ "Black Men in College: Implications for HBCUs and Beyond (Paperback) – Routledge". Routledge.com. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  38. ↑ "IAP / Book / Black Males in Postsecondary Education". www.infoagepub.com. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  39. ↑ "Community College Leadership and Administration". www.peterlang.com. Archived from the original on May 31, 2015. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
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