ALAMEDA -- On June 28, Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. announced the appointment of Lupe C. Garcia, a member of the California State University (CSU) board of trustees, to a judgeship in Alameda County Superior Court.
Garcia, who lives in Alameda with her husband and son, has been associate general counsel and senior director for global integrity at Gap Inc. since 2006, holding several positions with the company since 1999, including senior corporate counsel that focused on employment law matters and established the company’s international employment law practice. She also serves on the steering committee for the company’s Latino Employee Resource Group.
She previously was an associate at Lafayette and Kumagai LLP from 1995 to 1999. She earned a juris doctor degree from the University of San Francisco School of Law and a bachelor of arts degree in public policy from Occidental College.
Garcia fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Cecilia P. Castellanos. She is registered without party preference. As a CSU trustee serving until 2020, Garcia is known for advocating for the increase of student graduation rate within four years, and she is an advocate for civil rights in the San Francisco Bay area.
“Lupe Garcia exemplifies the highest principles of integrity and public service,” CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White told the Northern California Record. “As a trustee of California State University, she has tirelessly championed for our students and their families. Lupe’s passion for the communities we serve – and her hope for our state’s shared future – is known to everyone privileged to serve alongside her. I know that she will embrace her new role as a judge of the Alameda County Superior Court with the same passion and dedication she demonstrates as trustee.”
The California State Student Association (CSSA) awarded Garcia the Bob Linscheid Trustee of the Year Award in May.
“Each year, the governing board of CSSA, comprised of associated student representatives from the 23 campuses, nominate CSU administrators and faculty who not only empower students to be leaders and to affect change, but who are also the strongest allies of the students on their campus and across the CSU system,” according to a CSSA statement.
Garcia also is involved in several committees and lends her expertise volutarily to several organizations, including the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, the Ethics & Compliance Officers Association and the Bay Area Ethics & Compliance Association.