New Senior Associate Vice President of FP&M Has Deep Polytechnic Roots
Barbara Queen's polytechnic journey has come full circle. She began as an architecture student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Decades later, she returns to a Cal Poly campus as the senior associate vice president of Facilities Planning & Management (FP&M) at CPP.
In her new role, Queen will lead more than 160 employees across a dozen departments responsible for planning capital projects, maintaining campus infrastructure, keeping classrooms and facilities clean, and ensuring building systems operate efficiently. FP&M also oversees campus planning, operations and maintenance, the Lanterman site, and the reverse-osmosis treatment plant that provides drinking water to the university.
Queen joins Cal Poly Pomona from Cal State Los Angeles, where she served as associate vice president of Facilities, Planning, Design and Construction since 2019. Before that, she was the university’s director of Planning, Design and Construction. While the move is only 24 miles east along Interstate 10, it represents a return to a university environment that closely aligns with her professional roots.
“I actually see this as something of a homecoming,” Queen said. “While many people know me from my time at Cal State L.A., my first 13 years in facilities project management were at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Like Cal Poly Pomona, the campus has an extensive agricultural operation, animal programs, and hundreds of acres of open land.
“I managed projects that were unique to an agricultural university, including relocating the Bull Test Program, constructing a new Animal Nutrition Center, and building a new Meat Processing Center. Those projects required a deep understanding of how facilities support teaching, research, animal care, environmental stewardship, and regulatory compliance.”
After earning her Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Queen continued her time at the campus for another 10 years as a project architect and program manager. She later served as university architect in the CSU Chancellor's Office before joining Cal State Los Angeles.
Reflecting on her professional path, Queen credits an early mentor with shaping her leadership philosophy.
"Early in my career, Bob Kitamura, the associate vice president for facilities at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, invested in my development through leadership training,” Queen said. “More importantly, he taught me the value of making intentional decisions. That experience reinforced a lesson I’ve carried with me ever since: developing a clear vision, while it doesn’t predict the future, it provides a framework for thoughtful decisions."
Although Cal State L.A. and Cal Poly Pomona are separated by only a few dozen miles, Queen says the mission of facilities leadership remains consistent.
“While every campus has its own character and unique challenges, the fundamentals are the same: understand the mission, listen to the campus community, build a strong team, and make thoughtful investments that support students, faculty, and staff,” she said.
As she settles into her new role, Barbara plans to meet with university leaders and stakeholders across campus to better understand infrastructure priorities and identify the most effective ways to deliver essential services.
“My vision for FP&M is to be a trusted partner in the university's success,” Queen said. “At our core, we’re a customer service organization. When our buildings are safe, clean, comfortable, and operating the way they should, the campus community can focus on teaching, learning, research, and, most importantly, student success.”