Jenny Kao is Chief of Staff to the President of the University of California system of 10 campuses, 6 academic medical centers, and 3 affiliated national laboratories. She serves as UC President Michael V. Drake’s top executive advisor and confidant on a wide range of issues, helps develop and execute the University’s policy agenda, and advances UC’s role as an engine of social mobility and opportunity in California.
An immigrant and a product of California public education, Jenny has worked in the public sector for nearly 30 years. Before becoming Chief of Staff, she served as UC’s Chief Policy Advisor where she helped eliminate standardized testing in UC admissions and managed UCOP’s DACA-related efforts. Jenny also co-led the University’s state governmental relations office in Sacramento, advocating for UC’s priorities with the Governor and the Legislature. Before coming to the UC Office of the President, she served as the Higher Education Policy Analyst for former Governor Gray Davis.
Jenny has a B.A. degree with honors in U.S. History from UC Berkeley, with a minor degree in French literature. She holds a Master’s Degree in Public Affairs from Princeton University and completed three years of a Ph.D. program at UC Berkeley.
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Chief of Staff, University of California Office of the President
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