Soraya M. Coley served as the sixth president of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona from January 2015 until her retirement at the end of July 2025, becoming the first woman and first African American to lead the university. Trained as a social planning and policy scholar, she previously served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at CSU Bakersfield and as dean of the College of Human Development and Community Service at Cal State Fullerton. Her presidency emphasized student success, inclusive excellence, workforce development, and regional economic partnerships.