A former migrant farmworker who never attended high school, she overcame many obstacles in order to become a leader and a mentor in higher education.

“The Fresno State Visalia Campus is an extension of Fresno State,” she said, “and is a partnership with the College of the Sequoias. It is already making a difference in the lives of those students who cannot afford to relocate or make the daily commute to Fresno State to pursue higher education.”

Gonzalez works with Fresno State's eight academic colleges and schools to identify stateside and accelerated self-support baccalaureate and graduate degrees for the Fresno State Visalia Campus. Targeted academic disciplines and professional development programs are designed to meet the workforce demands of the region.

She is working with Dr. Emil Milevoj from the Craig School of Business and Dr. Fred Nelson from the Kremen School of Education to offer the accelerated bachelor’s degree in Business Administrative for fall of 2017 and the blended Liberal Studies/Multiple Subjects credential program for spring or fall of 2018.

Gonzalez believes her team can make the Visalia Campus an area of distinction for Fresno State.

“I love our university,” she said. “When I commit to something, I commit to it 110 percent. And this new assignment is personal to me. I'm from Tulare County … from Cutler-Orosi. I know what it feels to grow up in poverty and I also know how to overcome financial, cultural and educational barriers and succeed in order to serve as an example for others to follow.”

In the 1990s, when the Fresno State Center at College of the Sequoias was established in the South Valley, Gonzalez volunteered to make the drive to Visalia to teach upper-division courses as a young junior faculty member. She has come full-circle, now serving as a key leader for the new satellite campus, which is in a newly remodeled 10,000-square-foot, four-classroom building located on the southeast side of COS.

Growing up, Gonzalez was exposed to three experiences that influenced her career choices: farm work, education and healthcare. She was attracted to education because as an ESL student, she felt love from several inspirational teachers.

As the English medical interpreter for the family, she grew to admire one of her father's surgeons, Dr. Ziehl. “I really wanted to follow in his footsteps,” she said, “but I was a field worker and I just didn't see how that could be possible at the time.”

Fresno State Visalia Campus ribbon-cutting ceremony

However, Gonzalez believes in the Latino proverb that says, “God takes away silver to give you gold.” She persuaded her parents to let her attend a Bible college in 1975, and she decided to pursue a career in education as an elementary school teacher, her second career focus.

She also wanted to serve the community at a regional level, so she pursued a Ph.D. at the University of Arizona and set her sights on teaching at Fresno State. In 1989, she joined the faculty in the Department of Chicano and Latin American Studies and from 2001-2016 served as associate dean and dean of the College of Social Sciences.

As dean of the Fresno State Visalia Campus, Gonzalez said she “is reaffirming Fresno State’s commitment to serving every corner of its service area.” She moved quickly to join existing partnerships and is establishing new ones with South Valley school districts and community colleges. The goal is to create new and innovative pathways to offer professional development programs and baccalaureate and graduate degrees to local residents.