Profiles
JILL ADLER-MOORE, GRAND MARSHAL & MACE BEARER
Jill Adler-Moore, a professor in the Cal Poly Pomona Department of Biological Sciences, is the Investiture Grand Marshal and Mace Bearer. As an active teacher-scholar, she has garnered more than $15 million in grants and contracts, and invented AmBisome, a breakthrough antifungal drug used for patients with compromised immune systems, such as those with cancer, AIDS or severe burn injuries. Adler-Moore promotes student development through several programs, and was instrumental in establishing the biotechnology major and master’s degree program. In 2012, she received a Provost’s Award for Excellence.
SYLVIA A. ALVA, PROVOST AND VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
Sylvia A. Alva, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Cal Poly Pomona, has spent over three decades in California’s public higher education system as a student, faculty member and now as chief academic officer. Throughout her career, Dr. Alva has demonstrated her commitment to innovative and collaborative programs and partnerships. She is a strong champion of student success and community engagement programs.
SEPEHR ESKANDARI, CHAIR OF THE ACADEMIC SENATE
Sepehr Eskandari (’93, chemistry; ’95, master’s in biological sciences) is chair of the Cal Poly Pomona Academic Senate and a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences. A faculty member since 2000, he teaches courses in physiology and neuroscience. His research focuses on gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) transporters, which are involved in the regulation of neuronal signaling in the brain and are implicated in the treatment of epileptic seizures and the control of the consequences of stroke. He earned his doctorate from UCLA.
RACHEL DOMINGUEZ, PRESIDENT OF STAFF COUNCIL
Rachel Dominguez is the current president of the Cal Poly Pomona Staff Council, which supports the more than 1,400 staff members on campus. Dominguez joined the university in 1999 and is an administrative assistant in the Reading, Advising & Mentoring Program, a TRIO support service. This is her fourth year serving as president of Staff Council. She also serves as a member of the board of the Cal Poly Pomona Foundation and received a 2003 Amelia Hammond Staff Council Scholarship Award.
JULIAN HERRERA, ASI PRESIDENT
Julian Herrera, the 2015-16 ASI president, is a communication major with an emphasis in public relations. In addition, he is part of the California State Student Association, a statewide organization that advocates on behalf of all 23 CSU campuses and their students. He is a past president of Hermanos Unidos, a nonprofit organization working to improve the Latino retention rate, and has been a mentor at the Boys & Girls Club of Pomona Valley.
JOHN POLI, PRESIDENT OF ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
John Poli (’93, political science) is president of the Cal Poly Pomona Alumni Association and the procurement team manager for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. He is a past board member of the Southern California Water Utility Association. An active volunteer with Cal Poly Pomona, he joined the alumni board in 2010 and is a longtime alumni mentor. He earned his master’s in public administration in water resources management from Cal State San Bernardino.
HILDA L. SOLIS, LOS ANGELES COUNTY SUPERVISOR
Hilda L. Solis (’79, political science) is the Los Angeles County Supervisor for the 1st District and chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. During her career, she served as the U.S. Secretary of Labor (2009-13) under President Barack Obama, becoming the first Latina to serve in a president’s Cabinet. She has also served in the state Assembly (1992-94), state Senate (1994-2001) and in the U.S. House of Representatives (2001-09). In addition to her bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly Pomona, she has a master’s from the University of Southern California.
NORMA J. TORRES, CONGRESSWOMAN
Norma J. Torres represents California’s 35th Congressional District that includes Bloomington, Chino, Fontana, Montclair, Ontario, Pomona and Rialto. In Congress, she serves on the Committee on Homeland Security and the Committee on Natural Resources. She previously served in the state Senate (2013-14), state Assembly (2008-13), and as mayor (2006-08) and council member (2001-06) in Pomona. Throughout her career, making government more responsive to local needs, improving public safety, and building a resilient Inland Empire economy have all been priorities for Torres.
HORACE MITCHELL, PRESIDENT OF CSU BAKERSFIELD
Appointed president of CSU Bakersfield in 2004, Horace Mitchell has led CSUB to national recognition with a vision to extend the excellence and diversity of faculty and academic programs, enhance the quality of the student experience, and strengthen the university’s community engagement. Also a professor of psychology, Mitchell has served as a member and vice chair of WASC, on the board of directors of the American Council on Education, NCAA board of governors, and Division I board of directors. He previously served as a vice chancellor at UC Berkeley and UC Irvine.
KAREN S. HAYNES, PRESIDENT OF CAL STATE SAN MARCOS
Karen S. Haynes began her tenure as the third and now longest-serving president of Cal State San Marcos in 2004. This summer she will become the senior president in the CSU system. She has overseen advances in serving traditionally underrepresented student populations and in raising the educational attainment rate of the region. Haynes has overseen tremendous growth at CSUSM, including the opening of new facilities, the addition of a Temecula campus, and the launching of new academic programs. She is the Presidential Sponsor for the American Council on Education’s Southern California Network of Women in Higher Education. Haynes holds a doctorate in social work from the University of Texas.
FREEMAN A. HRABOWSKI III
Freeman A. Hrabowski III has served as president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County since 1992. In 2009, TIME magazine named Hrabowski one of America’s 10 Best College Presidents, and in 2012 he was selected one of the “100 Most Influential People in the World.” In 2015, U.S. News & World Report ranked UMBC among the nation’s most innovative national universities.
Hrabowski’s research focuses on science and math education, and his most recent book is “Holding Fast to Dreams: Empowering Youth from the Civil Rights Crusade to STEM Achievement.” He was recently appointed chair of the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans and also chaired the National Academies’ committee that produced the 2011 report “Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation: America’s Science and Technology Talent at the Crossroads.”
Hrabowski received his master’s degree in mathematics and doctorate in higher education administration/statistics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
LOU MONVILLE, CHAIR OF THE CSU BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Lou Monville, a member of the California State University Board of Trustees since 2006, has served as its chair since 2014. A graduate of Cal State San Bernardino, he is also the board’s alumni trustee for 2014-16. Monville is the vice president of OPR Communications, providing tactical and strategic public affairs counsel to business and public agency clients. His areas of expertise include land-use entitlement, water and energy project development, public education, and community outreach programs.
CHANCELLOR TIMOTHY P. WHITE
Timothy P. White is chancellor of the California State University system, the nation’s largest four-year university system and one of the most diverse. As chancellor, he oversees 23 campuses, nearly 460,000 students, 47,000 faculty and staff, and an annual budget of more than $5 billion.
White previously served as chancellor of the University of California, Riverside, and professor of biology and biomedical sciences. He has also served as president of the University of Idaho (2004-08) and served Oregon State University (1996-2004) as a dean, provost and executive vice president and interim president. He earned his doctorate from UC Berkeley.
HUGH O. LA BOUNTY, PRESIDENT EMERITUS OF CAL POLY POMONA (1977-91)
When Hugh O. La Bounty became the university’s third president, he had already served Cal Poly Pomona for more than 25 years. Under his leadership as president, the curricula expanded, enrollment continued to increase and international ties were expanded with new foreign-study programs. He also established the trustee-in-residence and the legislator-in-residence programs. Additions to the campus included the University Office Building, the W. Keith and Janet Kellogg University Art Gallery, the Collins Center for Hospitality, University Village and the university’s telecommunications system.
BOB H. SUZUKI, PRESIDENT EMERITUS OF CAL POLY POMONA (1991-2003)
Bob H. Suzuki improved academic programs and instructional quality, and emphasized the importance of diversity, establishing new cultural centers and educational equity programs. His tenure was also marked by increased research and scholarship opportunities, significant upgrades of campus technology, new partnerships with the city of Pomona and the founding of International Polytechnic High School and a 65-acre technology park. New facilities included a state-of-the-art engineering building, expansions of The Collins College of Hospitality Management and the Bronco Student Center, a biotechnology building, a central chiller plant, and a new student residential complex, among others.
J. MICHAEL ORTIZ, PRESIDENT EMERITUS OF CAL POLY POMONA (2003-14)
J. Michael Ortiz led the university to increased graduation rates, recognition for academic excellence and enhanced quality of student life. Under his leadership, enrollment grew to nearly 22,500 students and significant building projects included new student residential suites, a renovated and expanded University Library, a Veteran’s Resource Center, a new College of Business Administration complex, and the Bronco Recreation and Intramural Complex. A champion for first-generation and underrepresented students, Ortiz worked with the CSU system to expand its black, Latino and Asian American Pacific Islander initiatives.