Carol Berg

Office of the President
1985-2007
Deceased: 2019

With uncommon grace, integrity, talent and devotion, Carol Berg did a superlative job supporting and advising Chico State’s senior leaders over a 22-year career in the Office of the President.

Starting as the executive assistant to the president and later becoming chief of staff, Berg served Presidents Robin Wilson, Manuel Esteban and Paul Zingg in multiple ways, including staffing the office, determining appointments, facilitating new executive memos, and overseeing the office budget, to mention only a few. She was adept at both being an ambassador for the University, representing the president in meetings with people on and off campus, and at working behind the scenes to solve various institutional challenges. In fact, many of her accomplishments are not widely known, as she was the soul of discretion in tackling difficult and delicate issues on behalf of the president or Cabinet. But if you were someone she worked with over the years, you knew she approached any situation with great courtesy, thoughtfulness, humor, and—above all—an unwavering focus on doing what’s best for the University.

Berg’s strong desire to advance the University led her to establish high standards for campus publications, many of which she edited herself with her eagle eye. She equally made sure the University’s name, marks and logos were properly expressed in print or on apparel. The same attention to presentation and detail was evident in the many events she coordinated in the Office of the President. In particular, she expanded the successful fall receptions hosted by the president, launched the spring President’s Scholars Competitions, and was the lead on two presidential inaugurations. Both of those special events, which entailed a week’s worth of activities and required countless collaborations and decisions, were executed with precision and flair. Berg also applied her broad knowledge of and affection for Chico State in her role as executive producer of Today Decides Tomorrow, a video history of the University that was completed by the Instructional Media Center in 2000.

Berg earned her BA from Colorado State University and MBA from Canisius College.