A former Sacramento State diversity administrator has filed a civil lawsuit against University President Luke Wood and the California State University Board of Trustees, alleging workplace discrimination.
Dr. Mia Settles-Tidwell, who served as Sac State’s vice president for Inclusive Excellence and diversity officer for more than two years, filed a civil lawsuit in May 2025 in Los Angeles Superior Court alleging discrimination and harassment based on age, gender and race, retaliation and wrongful termination.
Settles-Tidwell, who is Black, pointed to more than a dozen alleged instances of discriminatory incidents following Wood taking the helm as Sac State’s president in July 2023.
The 56-year-old’s complaint states that these incidents, and other issues, left Settles-Tidwell “incapacitated to perform her duties” and with “no other choice but to resign from the job and community that she loved at California State University, Sacramento.”
CapRadio reached out to Settles-Tidwell’s attorney Mainak D’Attaray, Sac State and the CSU system for comment regarding Settles-Tidwell’s lawsuit. A CSU spokesperson directed questions back to the campus.
In a statement, a Sac State spokesperson told CapRadio Settles-Tidwell's lawsuit was not served to the CSU for 10 months after it was filed. "CSU believes the claims asserted by Plaintiff Settles-Tidwell are entirely baseless and devoid of merit, and CSU is prepared to vigorously defend against these claims," it said.
Wood and the CSU system also filed a motion May 22 to transfer venues from Los Angeles to Sacramento County Superior Court.
Defense attorneys wrote that Sacramento would be the proper court to hear the case, and that it also was more convenient for “witnesses and ends of justice.”
A hearing for the venue transfer motion is scheduled for Sept. 8 in Los Angeles.
The allegations
Settles-Tidwell’s lawsuit says she was the “only dark-skinned, Black woman at the vice president level” when she was hired in 2021 by then-President Robert Nelsen, and that “it was her plan to retire from Sacramento State.”
Her responsibilities included implementing Sac State’s Antiracism and Inclusive Campus Plan, office staffing, budget, policy and programs, among other tasks. The complaint states she received two performance evaluations from Nelsen for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 academic years, both classified as “Meets Expectations.”
Nelsen retired in July 2023, the same month Wood was announced as Sac State’s ninth president. The lawsuit states Settles-Tidwell and Wood initially had a “collegial” relationship, with the new president assuring her that “she was an integral part of his cabinet team.”
Wood also reportedly commended Settles-Tidwell for her leadership, and wrote an email to the Millennium Leadership Institute “without Tidwell’s prompting” endorsing her for the organization.
But the complaint alleges that conditions changed between the end of 2023 and early 2024. Settles-Tidwell’s suit says she had her portfolio “reduced” as parts of her office were reassigned to different departments, her authority to hire staff was “restricted and limited,” and that she was excluded by Wood from the 2024-25 budgeting process.
In her complaint, Settles-Tidwell said emails she wrote to Wood and other officials about some of these changes were not responded to or acknowledged.
Settles-Tidwell also alleges she was excluded from the Black Honors College’s leadership team despite writing the original proposal for Sac State. The lawsuit says Wood later asked her via text to the college’s advisory council after community members questioned Wood at a pre-press conference.
In March 2024, the lawsuit says Settles-Tidwell received an email from Wood with several other administrators copied on it. In the email, the complaint says Wood “berated her in front of her cabinet level peers and stated that her leadership was perceived as ‘not effective,’” and that it subjected Settles-Tidwell to “public harassment, professional humiliation, defamation and reprimand.”
Settles-Tidwell allegedly requested a meeting with Wood and others to discuss the email, but did not receive a response. Her lawsuit says Settles-Tidwell also did not have an opportunity to provide rebuttal data.
The civil suit also says Settles-Tidwell was only given a 1.5% merit increase, while other administrators at her level received a 2.5% increase or greater, and that there was no explanation for the difference. It also says her “compensation level, retirement benefit and retroactive payment were adversely impacted by President Wood’s intentional and targeted actions to negatively impact her compensation.”
Settles-Tidwell submitted her resignation letter on April 11, 2024, as the "continuous, disparate and adverse conditions” created a “hostile work environment.”
The suit says Wood made no attempt to discuss her resignation or try to retain her. But days later, he allegedly sent Settles-Tidwell a “reprimand text based on hearsay” and expressed “his disappointment and differential expectation of her based on her protected classification as a Black woman of his ‘community.’”
Wood also allegedly texted two other colleagues and told Settles-Tidwell to not show up to any more cabinet meetings until her departure.
Who is Mia Settles-Tidwell?
Settles-Tidwell was announced as Sac State’s new vice president for Inclusive Excellence and the university’s diversity officer in November 2021 under Nelsen’s leadership. This was her first and only position at the university.
Settles-Tidwell previously served as assistant vice chancellor and chief of staff for Equity and Inclusion at UC Berkeley, where she consulted on DEI initiatives and led the Disability Strategy Team. Settles-Tidwell also spent more than two decades in the Oakland Unified School District, where she served as its first Black female chief operating officer.
“Dr. Settles-Tidwell has a record of challenging institutions to examine inequitable practices, and has extensive experience removing barriers that impede success for students, staff, and faculty,” Nelsen said in a statement, adding that she was “just what the Hornet Family needs right now.”
About two-and-a-half years later, Wood publicly announced Settles-Tidwell’s resignation on April 11, 2024, effective May 1.
He cited her accomplishments at Sac State including making progress on 30 goals and 200 steps in the university’s Antiracism and Inclusive Campus Plan, co-developing and co-leading the school’s Cozen Title IX implementation plan, and planning the 2024 CSU-wide Juneteenth Symposium, among others.
“We are undoubtedly a better campus community because of her leadership and dedication to justice, equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging,” Wood wrote. Wood also said Dr. Michael Nguyen would step in as Sac State’s chief diversity officer, a role he currently holds.
Settles-Tidwell penned a farewell letter published in the campus newspaper, The State Hornet, writing that “I find that I have exhausted my ability to influence change at this particular table at this time.”
Settles-Tidwell thanked the campus community, reflected on her advocacy and work, and acknowledged that “‘At the Table Activists’ must always be cognizant that challenging and questioning the status quo and the powers of any organization comes with a risk; both to self and others.”
“With that as my context, words cannot accurately express the complexity in my decision to choose to leave this park-like campus environment and this amazing community at this time,” Settles-Tidwell wrote.
“As you can imagine, some things must remain unstated to protect the innocent and the guilty,” she added. “Therefore I will say this, at this stage in my career, and as a seasoned Black woman in leadership, modeling self-respect, integrity, self-preservation, and ethics are acts of the greatest activism.”
Sally Longenecker contributed reporting.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include responses from the California State University system and Sac State.
Editor’s note: CapRadio is licensed to Sacramento State, which is also an underwriter. The newsroom’s editorial coverage is independent of the university.
Editor’s note: Senior Advisor to the President Mark Wheeler and Vice President for People and Climate Machelle Martin are referenced multiple times in Settles-Tidwell’s lawsuit, but are not identified as defendants. Wheeler is currently the chair of the CapRadio Board of Directors, and Martin is the board secretary.
