Innovation Hub Advisory Board

The proud daughter of immigrant parents and a first generation college graduate, Alexandra’s personal educational journey has inspired her passion and commitment to working in progressive and non-transitional learning environments. Now in her 14th year working as a full-time education professional, Alex’s career has always been positioned at the intersection of the community and the academy. Professionally, she's earned a reputation for revitalizing community partnerships, developing culturally responsive programs, reimagining student, family and community engagement, and developing models for collaborative and sustainable impact. 

She received her Bachelors from Whittier College in Sociology and was awarded a full-ride scholarship for her Masters in Education at Whittier College. Upon graduation, she was appointed the Director of Community Education Programs at Whittier College where she worked to develop partnerships and collaborative initiatives with youth service providers. During her tenure at Whittier, Alex also served as a classroom instructor in the Education & Child Development Department where she designed curriculum for and taught 2 courses (EDUC545 Community Education Practicum and a study - abroad course with international partners in Seville, Spain EDUC282 Progressive Teaching and Learning). After Whittier College, Alex worked at Azusa Pacific University as the Experiential Learning Manager concurrently teaching a First-Year Seminar course and Vocation 200. At APU, she leveraged University resources to develop sustainable and mutually-beneficial programs through the stewardship and mobilization of Federal Work-Study funds.

Alex now serves as a member of the Executive Leadership team at The School of Arts and Enterprise; implemented processes and procedures that have elevated and streamlined admissions, outreach, engagement and marketing efforts. In 2022 Alex Oliva was the recipient of the National Dr. Denise Davis-Cotton Emerging Leader Award, presented by The Arts Schools Network. Additionally, Alex is a consultant on a five-year U.S. Department of Education $8.5Million grant to strengthen arts educational programming in the nation’s educational system. Alex has the pleasure of both working and living in the Historic Arts Colony in Downtown Pomona and was recently appointed to service on her second City Commission - Park and Recreation. Her personal joys include strolling The Downtown Pomona Arts Colony with her Husband Brian and their dog Jasper, eating and shopping at their favorite local businesses! 

Monique Robles was born in 1978 and raised in Pomona, California. Monique struggled in  her late teens and early 20’s as a single mother, uncertain of her future. At the young age of  21, she embarked on a career as a Correctional Officer. However, her journey took an  unexpected turn in 2008 when she was medically retired due to an on-the-job injury.  

Determined to make the most of her situation, Monique pursued a bachelor's degree in  human services. With her newfound knowledge and passion for helping others, Monique  ventured into the world of nonprofit management, accumulating over 20 years of  experience in the field. Throughout her career, she has made significant contributions to  various organizations.  

Currently, Monique is actively involved in several prestigious positions within numerous  community organizations and specialized committees. She Co-Chairs the Economic Development Committee for Pomona’s Promise and the College, Career and Workforce  Development Taskforce- LAP3. She is a member of the Business Engagement Committee  for the Economic Development Opportunity Department for Los Angeles County, the Cal  Poly Innovation Hub Advisory Committee, The Fox Community Cultural Foundation, and  the Pomona Unified School District Grant Oversite Committee. And most recently, was  asked to be a part of the Leadership Team for the City of Pomona Conrad-Hilton Grant.  

As a visionary business leader, she strives to foster a strong sense of community and  inclusion among businesses and all individuals within the city of Pomona. In her current  role as President and CEO of the Pomona Chamber of Commerce, Monique is fully  committed to supporting the efforts of the city's leadership and the community to facilitate  the growth and prosperity of Pomona. 

Olukemi Sawyerr, Ph.D., is the Inaugural associate vice president for Academic Innovation at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona) where she provides strategic direction and administrative oversight to the Office of Academic Innovation, which curates opportunities for experiential learning, discovery, and innovation for the Cal Poly Pomona community, through the Career Center,  Center for Community Engagement, Kellogg Honors College, Innovation Incubator, Office of Undergraduate Research, and the Student Innovation Idea Labs. She is the Principal Investigator (PI) on CPP INVESTS, a $3 million National Science Foundation (NSF) HSI Improving Undergraduate STEM Education grant, and the CPP NSF I-Corps site grant. She is PI on a Small Business Administration $1 million grant supporting the creation of the Community Innovation Hub in the city of Pomona CA, funding that was secured for Cal Poly Pomona through the office of Congresswoman Norma Torres. She is also the PI on a Michael and Susan Dell Foundation grant of $1.6 million and a California Community Foundation Grant of $100,000 both supporting course-embedded micro-internship in non-profit organizations to provide students professional experiences to ready them for their future life. She has also served as PI on multiple grants aimed at supporting innovation and entrepreneurship in the Pomona Valley Region.

Dr. Sawyerr is leading the development and implementation of Future Career Paths, a career and professional readiness model to prepare Cal Poly Pomona students for the future of work and human and civic engagement. Before this role, she served as the inaugural director of the Student Innovation Idea Lab (iLab), creating the infrastructure to engender and support student creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship. She has overseen the creation of innovative learning spaces on campus including the Maker Studio on the second floor of the Library and Innovation Orchard at Ganesha High School; and founded multiple innovative programs including programs in partnership with NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center. Her curricular innovations have garnered her national and international attention, including invited presentations at the Thematic University-Business Forum: Breaking Boundaries for Future Careers sponsored by the European Commission, and at the International Forum on Industry and Education sponsored by the Center for Schooling Development Programme in China.

Her current research interests focus on entrepreneurship education and its impact in higher education. Her research has appeared in multiple peer-reviewed journals and she has presented her work at national and international academic and professional conferences. Dr. Sawyerr received her Ph.D. in Strategic Management from the University of North Texas and her Bachelor of Business Administration and MBA from Texas Woman’s University. She is a professor of strategy and entrepreneurship in the Management and Human Resources Department in the College of Business Administration at Cal Poly Pomona.