The California State University (CSU) Board of Trustees has appointed Fresno State Provost Lynnette Zelezny as president of CSU Bakersfield, according to a news release.

Zelezny will be the fifth president of the university and the first woman to take that role. She will succeed current president Dr. Horace Mitchell upon his retirement after this school year.

Zelezny is a Fresno State alumna who earned her M.B.A from the Craig School of Business, and has served as university provost and vice president for academic affairs since 2014.

In a statement to The Collegian, university President Dr. Joseph Castro said that although Zelezny will be missed her dedication to Fresno State makes her an “excellent” leader for CSU Bakersfield.

“Her warm, caring and insightful leadership will propel CSU Bakersfield to new levels of academic distinction in the coming years,” Castro said. “I look forward to working closely together with Dr. Zelezny to serve our talented Valley students.”

She has held other roles at the university including professor of psychology, the chair of the department of psychology, associate dean for the Craig School of Business, dean and associate vice president for continuing and global education and vice provost.

Zelezny will begin her new role as president in late June.