Charles Sasaki began his career as faculty in Ethnic Studies and has since served in senior leadership roles which span the institution – as Chief Diversity Officer, Senior Student Affairs Officer, and Chief Academic Officer. Following thirteen years of service to the University of Hawaii Community Colleges, Sasaki was appointed as the eighth President/Superintendent of Ohlone College in 2023.
Sasaki has partnered with faculty to improve graduation and transfer as well as to introduce innovative low residency programs and workforce credentials which meet student and employer needs. Through the pandemic, he led his previous institution to buck national trends by growing the College’s enrollment, increasing success rates for underrepresented students, and closing equity gaps in distance education. His work at Ohlone College is now focused on maintaining academic excellence and student success, building partnerships to increase the visibility of the college, providing equitable service to all three cities in the district, and improving institutional enrollment and finances.
A leader in the national community of Minority Serving Institutions, Sasaki is frequently called upon to speak about the creation of socially just learning environments for students at AANAPISIs. He is a three-time U.S. Fulbright Scholar, has served as Pew Charitable Trusts National Learning Communities Fellow, and volunteered for over a decade as lead trainer for the Gates Millennium Scholars Program. Sasaki is one of a small number of out LGBTQ+ AAPI college CEOs and a fifth-generation descendant of Hawaii sugar plantation laborers – born in Los Angeles, raised in Orange County, and proud to now call the southeastern San Francisco Bay Area home.