President's Biography

Dr. Richard Storti serves as the acting president of College of San Mateo (CSM). CSM serves the diverse educational, economic, social and cultural needs of the Belmont, Burlingame, Foster City, Hillsborough, Millbrae, San Mateo, and Half Moon Bay communities. Serving over 65% students of color, the College is both a Hispanic Serving Institution and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution. The College serves over 15,000 students annually, providing holistic student services, an extensive range of degree and certificate programs, and a wide variety of collegiate sports for both men and women.

Dr. Storti is passionate about education and is dedicated to making a positive impact in the lives of students. He believes education is empowering and transformational and community colleges offer tremendous opportunities with high-quality instructional programs and student support services. He is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, anti-racism, social justice, student success, and providing safe and welcoming learning environments for all students. He is innovative in his approach to addressing challenges and barriers faced by students.

Dr. Storti has a broad range of experience in academia and private industry with demonstrated expertise in the complexities of higher education. He has previously served as deputy chancellor of West Hills Community College District, assistant superintendent /‌ vice president at Pasadena City College, and vice president at Fullerton College. Outside of academia, he has held senior-level financial and leadership positions with reputable organizations in private industry. He has a proven record of providing transformational leadership leading to successful implementation of new programs and operational improvements in existing programs and services.

A native of California, Dr. Storti earned his doctorate degree in education from the University of Southern California, M.S. in accountancy from California State University, Fullerton, and B.S. in business administration accountancy from California State University, Long Beach. He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant.

Dr. Storti has served on many civic committees and commissions including vice chairman of the Countywide Oversight Board of Fresno County, board member of the Kings County Oversight Board, and active roles with community college foundations. He is known for his student-centered leadership approach, financial and strategic planning expertise, ability to build strategic partnerships, and for his collaborative, engaging, inclusive, transparent, and personable leadership style.