Regent Rusty Areias

Rusty Areias is a partner at California Strategies, a leading public strategy and government relations firm in California. Prior to being a part of California Strategies, he served 12 years in the California Assembly, representing Merced, San Benito, Santa Cruz, Monterey, and Santa Clara Counties. During his time in the assembly, he successfully led the effort to locate a new University of California campus in the San Joaquin Valley, ultimately in Merced, and carried the legislation to establish California State University, Monterey Bay. He served as chair of the Assembly Agriculture Committee and Committee of Earthquakes and Natural Disasters following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. He then served as director of the California Department of Parks and Recreation, where he cut park fees in half, boosting attendance at state parks by 23 million. He also served four years as a California Coastal Commissioner, including two years as chair. Prior to his public service, he managed day-to-day operations of the Areias Dairy farms and received numerous awards for farming excellence. He was appointed by Governor Gavin Newson to the University of California Board of Regents in 2026. He also serves on the board of the Children’s Law Center of California and is a member of the Public Policy Institute of California’s board of directors.