Raji Brar Appointed To California State University Board of Trustees

BAKERSFIELD, CA – Governor Gavin Newsom has appointed Kern County businesswoman Raji Brar to the California State University Board of Trustees, giving the Central Valley a seat at the table at the nation’s largest system of public higher education.

“The Valley has to be part of the conversation. We can’t get 10 or 15 years down the road and realize we should have focused more on the Central Valley. It’s important that the other trustees hear the stories of Kern County students, and what we face. I’m grateful the governor understands that we need to be included,” Brar told the news outlet of Cal State University, Bakersfield. She is a double alumna from the campus having earned BS in biology and an MS degree in health care from here.

Owner and chief operations officer of Countryside Corporation since 2003, Brar also holds many leadership positions in Kern County and is co-founder of the Bakersfield Sikh Women’s Association.

Brar is the oldest child of Sikhs who came to the Central Valley in the mid-1970s and first raised their children in farm labor camps. Brar attended CSUB because it was close to home, affordable, and accessible, she told news.csub.edu while also talking about her mother who worked at Burger King at the time, with a fifth-grade education.

“I graduated from CSU Bakersfield and got a job, my husband graduated from CSU Bakersfield and got a job, and after a year, we bought a home. I don’t know if that’s possible anymore and we must ensure that’s happening for our kids when they get out of college. Ultimately, the goal is to enhance the quality of education and accessibility to everybody regardless of where they come from or what they look like,” Brar told the CSUB news portal.