Thomas A. Parham, Ph.D., is a family man who resides in the Southern California area with his wife, Davida. Dr. Parham is the 11th president of California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), a highly diverse, metropolitan university primarily serving the South Central and South Bay areas of Los Angeles County. Established in 1960, CSUDH is one of the 23 campuses that comprise the California State University system, the largest system of public higher education in the nation.

Dr. Parham previously served as vice chancellor of student affairs and an adjunct faculty member at the University of California, Irvine, where he had been since 1985.

For the past 38-plus years, Dr. Parham has focused his research efforts in the area of psychological nigrescence and has authored or co-authored six books and 45-50 journal articles and book chapters. He has sustained a scholarly focus in the areas of racial identity development, African psychology and multicultural counseling.

Dr. Parham grew up in Southern California and received his bachelor’s degree in social ecology from the University of California, Irvine, his master’s degree in counseling psychology at Washington University in St. Louis, and received his Ph.D. in counseling psychology at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. He is licensed to practice psychology in California.

In addition to his duties as president, Dr. Parham remains an active member of the community contributing his talents in the areas of social advocacy, community uplift and youth empowerment.

Honors & Awards

• Honoree, City of Los Angeles’s Hall of Fame award for “Outstanding Achievement in Education” February 2020
• Honoree, American Psychological Association, “Division 45 Lifetime Achievement Awards,” August 2019
• Honoree, Los Angeles Business Journal, “500 LA Most-Influential,” October 2018
• 2018 Illustrious Leadership Award from the American Psychological Association’s Minority Fellowship Program
• Honoree, Orange County Business Journal, “OC’s 500 most Influential Community Members,” October 2017
• Honoree, Orange County Chapter of The Links, Inc., “Salute to American Heart Month,” celebrating African American Leadership, Excellence and Dedication in the field of mental health, February 18, 2017
• Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, The Chicago School of Psychology, Washington, DC, October 10, 2014
• Recipient of Orange County Human Relations Award – in recognition of extraordinary contributions to Orange County in human or civil rights, Anaheim, CA, May 5, 2011
• 2010 Janet E. Helms Award for Mentoring and Scholarship
• 2009 Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the Phillips Graduate Institute
• 2008 100 Black Men of America’s Wimberly Award
• August 2007 American Psychological Association – Division 17 – Society of Counseling Psychology Award for Lifetime Achievement in Mentoring

Current Term

2021 – 2024