The new Poet Laureate for the state of California is Dornsife’s Dana Gioia. He is native Californian who grew up in Los Angeles County. Goila was selected for the Aiken Taylor Award for Modern American Poetry and the American Book Award. He also received the 2010 Laetare Medal.
His career included a position as a business executive and Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. He holds the Judge Widney Chair for Poetry and Public Culture in the Dornsife School of Letters, Arts and Sciences.