 Jean Fuller was born and raised in Kern County.She received her AA degree from Bakersfield College in 1970, her BA from California State University, Fresno in 1972, a Masters in Public Affairs from the California State University, Los Angeles in 1982 and her PhD from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1989.She supplemented her education with coursework and seminars at the University of Southern California, Harvard University, and Exeter College at Oxford University.