President Steve Perez announced in an email to campus on Jan. 24 that Seema Sehrawat will be retiring from her current position as the university’s chief of staff.
Sehrawat came to Chico State in August 2009 after getting her doctorate in social work from the University of Missouri-Columbia, according to the university leadership website. During her time as a tenure-track faculty, she maintained her research on a variety of topics such as gerontology and social work, while also founding the Interdisciplinary Center on Aging.
Additionally, she served as the director of the Bachelor and Master of Social Work Distributed Learning Program in the School of Social Work and the India Initiative Coordinator.
Sehrawat worked January 2019 to July 2022 as the associate dean of the College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Construction Management, as well as the director of the Concrete Industry Management program. Her journey in leadership then led her to become the chief of staff to University President Emeritus Gayle Hutchinson in August 2022, continuing in Perez’s cabinet in July 2023.
“Seema’s strong leadership set the stage for a remarkable period of accomplishment during 2023–24 and this past fall. She played a key role in shaping all three presidential initiatives: the Chico State Playbook, Community Agreements, and the employee engagement plan,” Perez stated in the email announcing her departure.
Perez noted that among Sehrawat’s pivotal achievements, one was her co-leadership of the Implementation Team that assisted in creating a framework for how Chico State handles care and compliance in relation to Title IX, Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation.
At her request, Sehrawat will be returning to a faculty position in the fall of 2025.
Chico State Public Relations Manager Andrew Staples expressed that Sehrawat respectfully declined to interview with The Orion.
Damon Gallegos can be reached at [email protected]
