The UC Office of the President, or UCOP, announced the appointment of former UC Board of Regents vice chair Cecilia Estolano to chair of the board effective Thursday.

As chair, Estolano will oversee her first board meeting in July, according to a UCOP press release. Estolano previously served as deputy chair for the Environmental Protection Agency Review Team, Energy and Environment Group for former president Barack Obama’s presidential transition team, the press release adds.

“It is a profound honor to help steer UC during this moment of unparalleled opportunity,” Estolano said in the press release. “I look forward to addressing how more Californians from every corner of the state can earn degrees from UC and elevating UC’s leadership in climate research.”

Estolano, who was appointed to the Board of Regents in 2018, founded an urban planning and public policy firm in 2011 and has served as an environmental policy advisor at local and national levels.

Graduating with a degree from the UC Berkeley School of Law, Estolano previously taught courses on equitable urban development and law at UCLA and UC Berkeley, the press release adds.

“The depth and breadth of Chair Estolano’s experience in the private and public sectors have been invaluable to UC and the Board of Regents,” said UC President Michael Drake in the press release. “I look forward to our continued collaboration in the year ahead.”

Regent Richard Leib now serves as vice chair of the board, according to the press release, while former chair John Pérez is now the chair of the Health Services Committee.