Lynn Mahoney

In September 2020, SFSU faculty Rabab Abdulhadi and Tomomi Kinukawa were hosting a virtual class lecture on Zoom (software) by Leila Khaled, a Palestinian political activist with a militant history, when the Zoom canceled the broadcast due to the company's support of a pro-Zionism stance. The Leila Khaled event brought SFSU into a tense national news debate on the "boundaries and consequences of freedom of expression", and had Mahoney fielding questions about her support and/or lack of support for the Middle Eastern studies program.

In July 2019, Mahoney succeeded Leslie Wong, to serve as the 14th President of San Francisco State University and the first woman President. During her tenure was the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced a move towards online classes, budget shortfalls, and staff cuts.

Prior to her role at SFSU, she previously worked at State University of New York at Purchase; California State University, Long Beach (August 2008–2015); and California State University, Los Angeles (February 2015–2019) as the Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs.

Lynn Mahoney (born 1964) is an American university president, author, and social historian. Mahoney is the president of San Francisco State University (SFSU) since July 2019, and is the first woman to hold this role. Her scholarly work has focused on United States history, women's history, feminism, race studies, and ethnicity. She is the author of Elizabeth Stoddard and the Boundaries of Bourgeois Culture (2004, Routledge); a book about novelist and poet Elizabeth Stoddard.

Lynn Mahoney was born on May 19, 1964 in the United States. She attended Stanford University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree (1986) in American studies; followed by studies at Rutgers University, graduating with a Doctor of Philosophy (1999) in history. She is married to history professor Charles Ponce de Leon, together they have two children.