Dr. Cynthia Azari
Cynthia E. Azari, Ed.D., became president of Riverside City College in April 2011 after serving as president of Fresno City College.
During her career in higher education, Dr. Azari has garnered recognition and is a recipient of the National TRIO award in 2009, the Woman of Achievement award from a local YWCA in 1996, and the Distinguished Service Award from the Association of Washington Community and Technical Colleges in 1995.
Prior to leading Fresno City College and RCC, Azari served as vice chancellor for Workforce Development and Educational Services at State Center Community College District in Fresno; president of Butler County Community College; vice president for Instruction and dean for Business and Engineering at Olympic College in Bremerton, WA; and in the government sector as director of the Education Division at Texas State Property Tax Board.
Azari is passionate about community service and currently serves on the boards of the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce and the Riverside Downtown Partnership. She is a former member of the Pennsylvania Governor’s Commission on Training America’s Teachers, the Community Development Corporation Board, the Association of Community College Trustees Awards Committee, and United Way of Kitsap County. Over the past 20 years, she also has served on a variety of council and board positions with Girl Scouts of America, and is a longtime member of Rotary International and is an American Cancer Society supporter.
Azari holds a bachelor’s degree in Government from Huston College, two master degrees in Education Administration and Industrial Relations from West Virginia University, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Seattle University. She and her husband reside in Riverside.
