Michael Spagna began his new role as the president of Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park, Calif., on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. Spagna is the 11th president in the university's history. (Sonoma State University via Bay City News)

Sonoma State University welcomed its new president on Tuesday.  

Michael Spagna is the 11th president in the university’s history, according to the school.  

Spagna was appointed by the California State University Board of Trustees in November. He had been serving as interim president at Cal Poly Humboldt since August 2024, the school said, and succeeds Emily Cutter, who had served as interim president of Sonoma State since August 2024. 

“My primary goal is to foster a spirit of optimism and enthusiasm for the university and the wider community,” Spagna said in a statement released by the school. 

The new president said his goals are to increase enrollment; review, support and expand the university’s academic programs; and to explore reviving athletics at the school. 

Spagna earned a doctorate degree in special education from University of California, Berkeley and San Francisco State University’s joint doctoral program. He also holds a master’s degree in special education from University of California, Los Angeles and a bachelor’s degree in communicative disorders from Northwestern University. 

“I have always been attracted to supporting individuals who experience learning challenges — especially when it comes to navigating school structures and systems — and empowering their families to serve as effective advocates,” he said. “My career as a special educator has been fulfilling and is at the core of my broader philosophy and values.”

Before going to Cal Poly Humboldt, Spagna was provost and vice president for academic affairs at CSU Dominguez Hills for seven years, and for nine years was dean of the Michael D. Eisner College of Education at CSU Northridge. Before becoming dean, he held several positions at CSUN over a 17-year period, including faculty president of the college, Eisner chair and executive director, and professor. 

He and his wife, Lisa Feldman — a retired career prosecutor in the U.S. Department of Justice who specialized in combatting cybercrime and elder fraud — have two children: a daughter, Sophia, who completed her degree at Rhode Island School of Design and works in the entertainment industry, and a son, Daniel, who is pursuing a degree in biology at University of California, San Diego. 

Sonoma State University is located in Rohnert Park and serves roughly 6,000 mostly undergraduate students.  

Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.