Marjorie S. Zatz joined the University of California, Merced, in July 2014 as the first full-time vice provost and dean of graduate education. She was a professor at Arizona State University from 1982–2014, also serving as director of the School of Justice Studies, associate dean of the graduate school, vice provost for academic personnel, and interim vice president and vice provost for the West Campus. From 2012–14, she was on loan to the National Science Foundation where she directed the law and social sciences program.
Zatz earned her B.A. in sociology with a minor in Latin American studies from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1977, and her M.A. and Ph.D. in sociology with a minor in Latin American studies from Indiana University in 1979 and 1982, respectively. Zatz was named one of the top 35 women in higher education by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education in 2019, and a fellow of the American Society of Criminology, also in 2019.
She served as interim vice chancellor for research and economic development at UC Merced from 2020–22.