A California native whose parents immigrated from Mexico and whose father worked in the fields of the San Joaquin Valley, Dr. Juan Sánchez Muñoz has deep roots in both the UC system and the Central Valley region. He earned his B.A. in psychology from UC Santa Barbara. After returning from service overseas in the U.S. Marine Corp, he completed his M.A. in Mexican American studies at California State University, Los Angeles, and worked as a secondary school teacher and later as an advisor and instructor in the California Community College system. He went on to earn his Ph.D. in education at UCLA, where he focused on curriculum and instruction in the Division of Urban Schooling.
Dr. Muñoz became UC Merced’s fourth chancellor after serving as president of the University of Houston–Downtown (UHD), the city's second largest university. Prior to UHD, he served as senior vice president and vice provost at Texas Tech University for over a decade.
He has authored and edited numerous volumes, book chapters, academic articles, essays, and refereed and invited conference presentations, and he currently holds the rank of professor in the Department of Sociology. Dr. Muñoz is also a graduate of several distinguished leadership programs, including the Academy for Innovative Higher Education Leadership (Arizona State University and Georgetown University), ACE’s Spectrum Executive Leadership Program, Harvard University’s Institute for Management and Leadership, UC Berkeley’s Executive Leadership Academy, and the University of Texas Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Policy’s Governor’s Executive Development Program.
Dr. Muñoz has served on the boards of Excelencia in Education, the Campaign for College Opportunity, the Yosemite National Conservancy, and the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. He currently serves on the boards of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, the American Council on Education, and the California College Affordability CEO Advisory Council. In 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom appointed him to the California Strategic Growth Council, and in 2023 he was appointed to the Carnegie Postsecondary Commission.
