Presidential History
2025–Present
Iris S. Levine
Dr. Iris S. Levine has been appointed as Interim President at Cal Poly Pomona. Dr. Levine previously served as Interim Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs; Dean of the College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences; Interim Dean of the College of Education and Integrative Studies; Music Department Chair and Professor of Music. She earned her Doctorate in Choral Music from the University of Southern California under the tutelage of Rodney Eichenberger and she holds a master’s degree in Choral Conducting from Temple University. She is a member of the American Choral Directors Association, the International Federation of Choral Music and Chorus America.
2015–2025
Soraya M. Coley
Soraya M. Coley, a veteran administrator with more than 20 years of experience in higher education, became the sixth president of Cal Poly Pomona in January 2015. Coley came to Cal Poly Pomona from Cal State Bakersfield, where she was the provost and vice president for academic affairs from 2005 to 2014. She served as interim vice president for university advancement from 2011 to 2012. Her...
2003–2014
J. Michael Ortiz
J. Michael Ortiz led the university to increased graduation rates, to improved student access to educational programs and to numerous citations for academic excellence. He also enhanced the quality of student life on campus. By 2013-14, enrollment had increased to approximately 22,500 students. Significant building projects completed include the addition of a three-building complex of student...
1991–2003
Bob H. Suzuki
Bob Suzuki, the fourth president, emphasized the importance of diversity, helped establish the cultural centers and educational equity programs, improved academic quality through the creation of the Faculty Center for Professional Development and developed significant partnerships with the city of Pomona. During his tenure, Suzuki raised more than $110 million to help fund more than $200...
1977–1991
Hugh O. La Bounty
Hugh La Bounty was appointed acting president in 1977 and became the university’s second president in 1978. He had already served Cal Poly in a variety of roles for more than 25 years, having come to the Voorhis campus as a junior instructor in 1953. During his tenure and despite the challenges following passage of Proposition 13, Cal Poly Pomona continued to grow. Fundraising...
1966–1977
Robert C. Kramer
The first president of the newly independent Cal Poly Pomona, Robert Kramer managed a period of explosive growth. Enrollment grew from just under 5,000 students to more than 13,000 students, and the number of academic programs expanded from 20 to 69, including the addition of the first graduate degree, a master’s in biological sciences, and bachelor of arts programs. To meet the...
1938–1966
Julian A. McPhee
Julian McPhee assumed the presidency of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 1933 and was instrumental in setting the polytechnic “learn-by-doing philosophy” that remains a hallmark. Cal Poly Pomona was founded as in the 1938 upon the acquisition of the Voorhis School for Boys property in San Dimas for a Southern California branch for the university. McPhee served as president of both...