Rod serves on the president's senior staff and directs the Office of Marketing and Communications, which addresses the communication needs of the entire College. A Covina native and first-generation college student, Rod earned a degree in communications at Cal Poly Pomona. He spent the first decade of his professional career as a reporter and editor for Southern California News Group, which includes the Pasadena Star-News and the L.A. Daily News. He then moved into higher education, spending six years at Claremont Graduate University, where he was promoted to director of media and online marketing. He moved to the University of La Verne in 2016 as director of media and public relations, once again being promoted, this time to the position of associate vice president. In that role he served as chief marketing and communications officer for the university and as a member of senior staff.