Roberto González Jr. USDA-HSI Regional Director (Central-Northern California)

Roberto González Jr. is hosted at California State University, Fresno (Fresno State), and provides liaison services in Central-Northern California between HSIs of higher education and regional USDA Agencies located throughout the Central Valley, Central Coast, State Capital, and the Bay Area. Roberto strives to create strategic partnerships between USDA and HSIs by providing students, faculty/staff and administrators access to educational, professional and institutional development programs. Also, promoting employment prospects, and encouraging public service.

Roberto previously worked at San Diego State University (SDSU) as a Program Coordinator for the Division of Student Affairs (Academic Services and Career Services), providing student support services to advance higher education access, learning, retention, and post-graduation success. Also, in his previous roles as a Project Coordinator (and) Research Specialist for the California Center for Border and Regional Economic Studies (CCBRES) hosted at SDSU, he provided support on research projects, outreaching to border communities, smart growth planning, and collection of regional data for strategic planning and analysis on the Imperial-Mexicali Valleys, California-Baja California, and U.S.-México border region.

He earned his Bachelor(s) of Arts in Organizational Psychology (and) Commercial Spanish, and a Master’s of Public Administration (MPA) from SDSU.  He participated as a Fellow in the Executive Program for Nonprofit Leaders (EPNL) at Stanford University.

Roberto is a native of Mexicali, Baja California, México; a progressive industrial border-crossing Capital city with a transforming agricultural-base history. Thus, people from Mexicali are commonly called “Cachanillas,” due to a desert flower that grows in the area.

California State University, Fresno
Craig School of Business / Peters Building
5245 N. Backer Avenue, M/S PB-7
Fresno, CA 93740-8001
Phone: 559.278.8311
Fax: 559.278.8682
Email: Roberto.Gonzalez@ars.usda.gov