05/13/2025
Salvador D. Aceves ‘83, EdD ‘95 has been selected as the first lay person and first Latino to be president of the University of San Francisco.
Aceves was born and raised in San Francisco and will take office in August.
“To return to USF in a leadership role is not just a professional opportunity — it is a calling. USF has always been a place where academic excellence, faith, and social responsibility are interwoven. It is an honor to give back to the university that gave me so much, and to help shape its future guided by the same values that shaped me.” - Incoming President Aceves
The son of immigrants and a first-generation college graduate, incoming President Aceves attended USF and earned a BS in accounting from the School of Management and an EdD from the School of Education. His career in Jesuit higher education also began at USF: He was an associate professor of accounting in the School of Management and the School of Law, and then served as vice provost and chief planning and budget officer.
Most recently, incoming President Aceves has served since 2023 as president of Regis University in Denver, and as its senior vice president and chief financial officer from 2014–2022.
“This is a historic moment for USF. Salvador is deeply committed to USF’s Jesuit Catholic mission, the Ignatian vision of service to the world, and Jesuit higher education as a whole.” - Board of Trustees Chair Jack Boland ‘78
Asked what he would tell a prospective student about USF, he said, “I’d say that here we prepare you not just for a career, but for a vocation — one that calls you to lead with empathy, serve with purpose, and live with integrity.”
Incoming President Aceves and Carol Aceves MA ’11, his wife of 40 years and a fellow USF graduate, are looking forward to returning to San Francisco. The couple met in their fifth-grade classroom at St. John Catholic School in San Francisco, and he describes their relationship as “a lifelong blessing.”
“What excites me most about stepping into this position at USF is the opportunity to journey alongside an extraordinary community of faculty, staff, and students who are deeply committed to building a more just and humane world. We have the opportunity to form leaders by nurturing the mind, heart, and hands — and in doing so, shape a university that models the very justice and compassion we hope to see in the world.”
More about USF's 29th president: https://bit.ly/USFCA29
