Reporter

CSU Bakersfield alumnus John Nilon has been appointed to the California State University Board of Trustees as the new alumni trustee.

Nilon was elected by the CSU Alumni Council to serve a two-year appointment set to begin in July, where he will be representing the CSU alumni on the 25-member board and keep alumni leaders informed on issues affecting the 23-CSU campuses, stated a media release from the CSU system.

The Alumni Association believed Nilon was a great candidate to be on the board and then later elected him.

Nilon has held several positions within the community serving as County Administrative Officer, Assistant Director of Human Services, Executive Director of Employers’ Training Resource, the Director of Department of Children Support Services and the Director of Public Health.

Nilon earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in business administration at CSUB. He was also named Outstanding Alumni in 1990.

Nilon is excited to be a part of CSUB’s Board of Trustees and is looking forward to the new opportunities ahead for him.

“I think it’s going to be just a thrill getting to know the faculty, students, and administrators and just getting a sense of how diverse we are and how much we are really achieving,” said Nilon.

Nilon is committed to students achieving academically and believes that being a good board member requires to realize their purpose and look at the big picture.

“One of the things I think we have to address in terms of policy is how are we helping our students if we know that 25 percent of them are hungry, 10 percent of them are homeless, and 50 percent of them are low income,” said Nilon. “What are we going to do to make sure that they are successful at earning their degrees to make sure they can springboard out of that low income, poverty position that they are in?”