Michelle Kiss

As chief of staff to the chancellor, Michelle Kiss is responsible for the oversight and direction of high-level projects for the Chancellor's Office. She supervises the design, implementation and assessment of strategic operational initiatives and select programs on behalf of the chancellor. In addition, she oversees all executive searches and serves on and coordinates the work of the Chancellor's Council and the Chancellor's Senior Leadership Council.

Prior to her appointment as chief of staff in June 2021, Kiss served for more than a decade in important roles throughout the CSU. She began at Cal State Long Beach and CSU Dominguez Hills as an academic adviser and administrator before moving on to the division of Academic and Student Affairs and Executive Office at the Office of the Chancellor. For the past five years, Kiss served as the trustee secretariat and the chief liaison between the Board of Trustees and system leadership, presidents, government officials and internal and external constituents. She offered strategic executive support for the 25-member Board in advancing university-wide policy goals and priorities.

Kiss is a proud product of California public higher education. She transferred from Long Beach City College and earned two bachelor's degrees, in political science and in sociocultural anthropology, from the University of California, Los Angeles. She received her master's in public administration from Cal State Long Beach.