Deborah Adishian-Astone, who started her career as a student assistant at Fresno State and rose through the ranks to increasing responsibilities, has been named vice president for Administration.
President Joseph I. Castro selected Adishian-Astone following a national search. She has been performing the duties on an interim basis for over a year, in addition to her position as associate vice president for Auxiliary Operations.
“I am thrilled that Debbie will become our new vice president for Administration,” Castro said. “Her depth and breadth of knowledge about Fresno State is unsurpassed and will be invaluable as we move forward with our bold focus on student success.”
She will serve as a member of the President’s Cabinet. Major units under her direction are human resources (excluding faculty contracts), payroll, Title IX, organizational excellence, facilities management, public safety, parking and transportation, auxiliary services, and real estate development.
She will serve as chair of the board of the Fresno State Association Board of Directors and in her current position she serves as executive director of the Fresno State Foundation, Agricultural Foundation of California State University, Fresno and the California State University, Fresno Association, Inc.
Adishian-Astone started working for Fresno State in 1983 as a student assistant in the Office of Facilities Planning, and joined the staff full time in 1988 as assistant facilities planner. She advanced to director of Facilities Planning and then assistant to the vice president for Administration before being promoted to associate vice president of auxiliary operations in 2001.
She led the planning and development of the Save Mart Center, the Student Recreation Center and the Campus Pointe development, a 45 acre public-private partnership project which includes a theater, retail and office space, hotel, and multifamily student friendly and senior housing.
Adishian-Astone earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis on marketing and management and an MBA from Fresno State. She completed the Management Development Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
She was among the Marjaree Mason Center’s Top 10 Professional Women in 2002. In 2008, she was awarded the Rising Star Award from the National Association of College and University Business Officers.
