Soraya Coley
President
CALIFORNIA STATE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, POMONA
Dr. Soraya M. Coley is the sixth president of Cal Poly Pomona. An accomplished educator, administrator with over three decades of experience in higher education, Dr. Coley is the first woman and first African American to be named president of Cal Poly Pomona.
As president, Dr. Coley leads an institution with more than 26,000 students and nearly 2,500 faculty and staff. Under her leadership, Cal Poly Pomona has continued to grow its legacy as the most diverse polytechnic university in the country and as a national leader in promoting social and economic mobility.
Coley earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. She completed her master's and doctoral degrees in social planning and social research from Bryn Mawr College where she was recognized as a distinguished alumna. She is married to Ron Coley, who served two decades of active duty as a United States Marine Corps pilot, retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.