Who’s involved in the settlement over alleged sexual harassment and retaliation at Sonoma State University?

The California State University system in January reached a $600,000 settlement to resolve a claim by former Sonoma State provost Lisa Vollendorf alleging SSU President Judy Sakaki retaliated against her for reporting sexual harassment complaints against Sakaki’s husband, Patrick McCallum. Here’s what we know about the lives and professional backgrounds of those at the center of the dispute.

Judy Sakaki

Judy Sakaki, 69, has served as president of Sonoma State University since July 2016. The first-generation college student and Oakland native is the first Japanese American woman to head up a four-year university in the country. Sakaki was also the first new president of Sonoma State University in over two decades and only its second female president. She previously worked as a senior administrator for the University of California system.

Patrick McCallum

Patrick McCallum, 68, Sakaki’s husband, is a veteran Sacramento lobbyist who heads up the McCallum Group, a legislative advocacy and government relations consultancy with a focus on higher education. McCallum was previously executive director for the Faculty Association of California Community Colleges. He also founded the Collaborative Brain Trust, a consultancy for colleges and universities. He has served as co-chair for Up From the Ashes, a coalition of wildfire victims and their legal representatives. Sakaki and McCallum lost their Fountaingrove home in the Tubbs fire of 2017. They now live in Bennett Valley.

Lisa Vollendorf

Lisa Vollendorf, 53, worked in the California State University system for 16 years before rising to provost and executive vice president for Sonoma State University in 2017. She transferred to the Chancellor’s Office as a special adviser in 2020, a move related to the dispute with Sakaki, where she spent a year. She’s now serving as interim provost and chief academic officer at the University of Northern Colorado but is set to become State University of New York Empire State College president later this year.