Caron Laird is interim senior director, Marketing Communications, leading a talented team of 20 professionals as stewards of the CSU brand positioning, branding and visual identity. In this capacity, she collaborates closely with colleagues in the Chancellor’s Office and partners across the system to shape perceptions, sentiments, and advocacy for the 23-university system.

In her 22-year tenure within the CSU, Caron has assumed various roles in support of departmental and divisional priorities. Under her guidance, Marketing Communications has not only made contributions to initiatives such as the inaugural “Juneteenth Symposium,” the award-winning “Women in Leadership” campaign, and the CSU’s groundbreaking “Graduation Initiative 2025,” but also moved toward being a more strategic partner for the client departments at the Chancellor’s Office. As experts in storytelling, Marketing Communications is the ideal translator between a program’s owners and the audience it seeks to reach.

Outside of CSU, Caron serves as the secretary for the Marine Conservation Research Institute, the research arm of the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, where she holds the distinction of being a charter volunteer.

Caron is a proud alumna of the CSU system, having earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in public administration from San Diego State University.