Lorena Peñaloza

Lorena Peñaloza is the Chief Campus Counsel for the University of California, Riverside (UCR), one of the ten campuses in the University of California system ^[2]. She became UCR's Chief Campus Counsel in January 2023 after serving as Chief Campus Counsel of UC Santa Cruz for nearly six years. She reports jointly to the UCR Chancellor and to the UC system Senior Vice President and General Counsel, and she serves on their respective leadership teams ^[2].

Peñaloza's practice is concentrated in higher-education law, and she advises the campus on a broad range of legal issues including employment, land use, police, and student safety and conduct matters ^[2]. Through the UCR Office of Legal Affairs she counsels university departments and administrators across these areas ^[1].

Earlier in her career, Peñaloza worked for the Office of General Counsel of the California State University system, where she first served as a litigator and then as University Counsel for two of the system's twenty-three campuses. Before joining CSU, she served as Assistant City Attorney in the City Attorney's Office for the City of Santa Ana, and she began her legal career with the Social Security Administration's Office of the General Counsel in Maryland through the Presidential Management Fellowship program ^[2].

Peñaloza holds a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, and a J.D. from the University of California, College of the Law, San Francisco ^[2]. She has been a member of the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA) since 2008, serving on several committees, including the inaugural Campus Counsel Leadership Intensive Advisory Group and the Board Advisory Council on Diversity and Inclusivity, and co-chairing the winter 2024 Higher Education Employment Law CLE workshop ^[2].

Peñaloza currently serves on the Board of Directors of NACUA, the principal professional association for attorneys who represent colleges and universities ^[2].

Recognition

• Board of Directors — National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA) (2025) ^[3]