Compensation · Chancellor and vice chancellors

Chancellor and vice chancellor compensation decisions, 2006 to 2026

Five chancellors, one acting chancellor, and every Board action on their pay that the record shows, followed by the vice chancellor decisions and the January 2026 adjustments.

The increase

The document shows: the chancellor's state-funded base went from $377,000 (Reed, effective July 1, 2006) to $795,000 (García, effective October 1, 2023), a 111 percent increase over the period, with the two largest steps at appointments: Castro at $625,000 in 2021 (31 percent above White's last Board-set base of $477,771) and García at $795,000 in 2023 (27 percent above the $625,000 paid to Castro, Relyea, and Koester). Between those appointments the Board approved percentage adjustments of 2 to 3 percent, and none at all from 2008 through 2013 or in 2020 and 2021. The record does not establish any base adjustment or incentive payment for the chancellor after October 2023; the August 4, 2026 summary shows $795,000 base, $96,000 housing, $80,000 deferred compensation, and no incentive entry.

Chancellor compensation timeline

Decision	Base	Housing	Other	Source
Jan 23–24, 2007 (eff. Jul 1, 2006): 4 percent adjustment, Charles B. Reed	$362,500 → $377,000	Official residence	$30,000 CSU Foundation retirement supplement	UFP Item 1, pp. 1–3 of 3
Sep 18–19, 2007 (eff. Jul 1, 2007): executive increase averaging 11.8 percent (RUFP 09-07-07)	$377,000 → $421,500	Residence	$30,000 supplement; $1,000 monthly vehicle allowance for executives	UFP Item 3
2008–2012	No action found; freeze		Sept 22, 2009 minutes: "no president, no vice chancellor or the chancellor has received any compensation increase for more than one year"; 0 percent 2010–11 through 2013–14	UFP Jul 2022, Item 7, p. 1 of 3
Nov 13–14, 2012 (eff. Dec 31, 2012): Chancellor-select Timothy P. White (RUFP 11-12-07)	$380,000 (agenda proposed $421,500)	Must occupy the Long Beach residence	$30,000 supplement; $1,000 monthly vehicle	Resolutions Nov 2012
Nov 12–13, 2014 (eff. Jul 1, 2014): 3 percent	$380,000 → $392,300	Residence	$30,000 supplement	UFP Item 4, p. 3 of 4
Jul 20–21, 2015 (eff. Jul 1, 2015): 2 percent	$392,300 → $400,746	Residence	$30,000 supplement	UFP Item 2, p. 4 of 5
Jul 19, 2016 (eff. Jul 1, 2016): 2 percent	$400,746 → $409,361	Residence	$30,000 supplement	UFP Item 3, p. 4 of 4
Sep 19–20, 2017 (eff. Jul 1, 2017): 2.5 percent; supplement rolled into base Jan 1, 2018	$409,361 → $420,345; $450,345 all-state from Jan 1, 2018	Residence	Supplement eliminated as a separate item	UFP Item 2, pp. 2–3 of 3
Jul 24, 2018 (eff. Jul 1, 2018): 3 percent (RUFP 07-18-07)	$450,345 → $463,855	Residence		UFP Item 3, p. 3 of 3
Nov 13–14, 2018: housing	Unchanged	$7,917 monthly from non-state funds, after sale of the State University House		UFP Item 5, p. 1 of 1
Jul 23–24, 2019 (eff. Jul 1, 2019): 3 percent	$463,855 → $477,771	$7,917 monthly		UFP Item 3, pp. 2–3 of 3
2020–21 and 2021–22	0 percent			UFP Jul 2022, Item 7, p. 1 of 3
Sep 22–23, 2020 (eff. on or before Jan 4, 2021): Chancellor-select Joseph I. Castro (RUFP 09-20-03)	$625,000	$7,917 monthly, non-state	$1,000 monthly auto	UFP Item 2, pp. 1–2 of 2
Mar 21–23, 2022: Acting Chancellor Steve Relyea (eff. Feb 17) and Interim Chancellor Jolene Koester (eff. May 1), "the same compensation as the former chancellor"	$625,000	$7,917 monthly, non-state	$1,000 monthly auto	UFP Items 3 and 5
Jul 9–12, 2023 (eff. Oct 1, 2023): Chancellor-select Mildred García (RUFP 07-23-10; committee vote 9–2)	$795,000	$96,000 annual allowance	$80,000 annual deferred compensation (IRC 457(f)); $1,000 monthly auto	UFP Item 2; Resolutions Jul 2023
Nov 17–19, 2025: new policy covers the chancellor; no salary change found through September 2026	$795,000	$96,000	$80,000 deferred; no incentive entry on the 8/4/2026 summary	Executive Compensation Summary

Vice chancellor decisions

Every vice chancellor, executive vice chancellor, and general counsel salary in the record was set by Board resolution on the chancellor's recommendation (the chief audit officer on the Audit Committee chair's recommendation). No document delegating vice chancellor pay to the chancellor was found; Trustee policy delegates vice president pay, with an annual report.

Date	Action	Source
Jan 2007 (eff. Jul 1, 2006)	4 percent: EVC/CAO Reichard $262,008 → $272,488; EVC/CFO West $280,056 → $291,258; VC HR McClain $246,186 → $256,033; General Counsel Helwick $230,002 → $239,202	UFP Jan 2007, Item 1, p. 2 of 3
Sep 2007 (eff. Jul 1, 2007)	Average 11.8 percent: Reichard → $302,246; West → $325,625; Helwick → $270,000	UFP Sep 2007, Item 3, p. 3 of 3
Nov 2014 (eff. Jul 1, 2014)	3 percent: EVC/CFO Relyea and EVC/GC Virjee $310,000 → $319,300; EVC/CAO Smith → $293,550; VC HR Lamb → $270,890; VC URA Ashley → $247,200; Chief Audit Officer Mandel → $236,484	UFP Nov 2014, Item 4, pp. 3–4 of 4
Jul 2015, Jul 2016, Sep 2017, Jul 2018, Jul 2019	2, 2, 2.5, 3, and 3 percent; the three EVCs reach $361,242 by July 1, 2019; Ashley received a roughly 9.6 percent equity increase in 2018	UFP agendas for each meeting (research note)
Jul 2022 (eff. Jul 1, 2022)	7 percent, "first salary increase for Executives, MPP and Confidential employee groups since July 2019": EVCs Alva, Jones, Relyea $361,242 → $386,529; VC HR Nazario → $327,925; Chief Audit Officer Marinescu → $286,281	UFP Jul 2022, Item 7 and attachments
Jul 2023	Marinescu, 10 percent equity increase to $314,900	UFP Jul 2023, Item 4, pp. 2–3 of 3
Sep 2025	VC Academic Affairs Junius Gonzales, $440,000 (eff. Oct 6, 2025); Interim EVC and General Counsel Dawn Theodora, $386,529	UFP Nov 2025, Item 1 (Sept 10, 2025 minutes)
Jan 27–28, 2026 (base eff. Jul 1, 2025): "Executive Compensation, Vice Chancellors" (RUFP 01-26-03)	After a Segal study found aggregate VC base pay at about 70 percent of market median: Greg Saks, External Relations, $344,321 → $371,867, 5 percent at-risk; Vlad Marinescu, Chief Audit Officer, $314,900 → $368,433, $61,244 deferred, 5 percent; Junius Gonzales, Academic Affairs, $440,000 → $466,400, $61,244, 5 percent; Frank Hurtarte, Human Resources, $360,000 → $374,400, $61,244, 5 percent. Increases of 8.0, 17.0, 6.0, and 4.0 percent (computed). The CSU's FAQ put the total cost "under $400,000," with "approximately $121,000" from the General Fund.	UFP Jan 2026, Item 5, pp. 2–4 of 4; VC adjustments FAQ
Mar 2026	VC Strategic Enrollment Management, Dilcie D. Perez, $403,500, 5 percent at-risk	UFP Mar 2026, Item 5
May 2026	Interim VC and Chief HR Officer Dave Grant, $378,000 (RUFP 05-26-08)	UFP Jul 2026, Item 1, p. 2 of 3
Aug 4, 2026 summary	Gonzales $466,400; Perez $403,500; Theodora $386,529; Grant $378,000; Saks $371,867; Marinescu $368,433; VC and CFO vacant	Executive Compensation Summary

The test

Can a faculty member find, in five minutes, how the chancellor's $795,000 was set, what the comparator group was, and whether any incentive has been paid under the 2025 policy?

Source box

Primary documents: UFP agendas and Board resolutions linked in each row; Policy on Executive Compensation (Nov 19, 2025); Executive Compensation Summary (updated 8/4/2026).
Dates: January 2007 through September 2026.
Relevant pages: Printed UFP page headers as listed; resolution compilations and the summary carry no printed page numbers.
What the documents show: Each Board-set base, housing, auto, supplement, and deferred-compensation figure, with effective dates.
What the record does not yet establish: Reed's salary 2008–2012 directly (only freeze statements and the November 2012 proposed figure of $421,500); whether Interim Chancellor Koester received the July 2022 increase; White's reported request for a lower salary (secondary press only); the publication date of the VC adjustments FAQ.
Secondary sources: CFA, "Summary of Salaries for CSU Executives since 2004" (year labels appear offset by one year from CSU effective dates; not used for figures).