Former CSU leader Loren J. Blanchard to serve as Long Beach State president starting May 1, replacing Interim President Andrew Jones who has served since August 2025. Photo courtesy of Long Beach State website
Loren J. Blanchard, a former CSU leader, will serve as the new president of Long Beach State.
The CSU Board of Trustees announced the appointment at their meeting this morning, confirming Blanchard will replace Interim President Andrew Jones starting May 1.
In a statement released by the CSU, Blanchard said, “I am deeply honored and profoundly humbled to be named Cal State Long Beach’s next president.”
Blanchard is currently the president of the University of Houston-Downtown and has served there since 2021.
Previously, he worked as the CSU executive vice chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs for six years.
Blanchard is a first-generation college graduate, obtaining his bachelor’s in speech pathology education from Xavier University of Louisiana. He also has a master’s degree in education from McNeese State University and a doctorate in educational psychology from the University of Georgia.
“CSULB is renowned for being a student-centered university that fosters a culture of holistic support, community engagement and inclusive excellence,” Blanchard said. “I look forward to joining The Beach community in the transformational work it does every day to turn dreams into reality for thousands of diverse and talented students.”
In the statement, CSU Trustee Christopher Steinhauser said the committee was impressed with Blanchard’s “demonstrated strategic and inclusive leadership style and strong commitment to student success.”
Annette Quijada is a senior at California State University, Long Beach, majoring in journalism. Annette transferred as a third-year after attending East Los Angeles College. Her first year on the Long Beach Current in 2024, she was a news assistant, and now is the News Editor for the 2025-26 academic year. She currently works as a manager at a bookstore and is doing an internship at a book publishing company. After graduation she plans to pursue a job in the book publishing industry.