Blenda Wilson ( born January 28 , 1941 ) is a retired university administrator and educational executive who was the first African American woman to become president of a large ( over 25,000 students ) American university . She was president of California State University , Northridge ( CSUN ) during the 1994 Northridge earthquake , one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history . Wilson oversaw the rebuilding of CSUN over several years , costing nearly $ 400 million and repairing or rebuilding over 100 buildings on the campus
1994 Northridge earthquake
1994 Northridge earthquake
Blenda Wilson