List of Cal Poly Pomona people
This list of Cal Poly Pomona people includes notable matriculating students, and alumni that have graduated or are non-matriculating students of Cal Poly Pomona, a public university, and one of the 23 general campuses of the California State University located in Pomona, California.
Alumni
Athletics
Business
| Alumni | Notability | Relationship to Cal Poly Pomona | Citation |
| Beny Alagem | Entrepreneur; founder of Packard Bell Electronics; owner of the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Santa Monica, California | Student | |
| Jack Dangermond | Founder of ESRI consulting firm, the largest manufacturer and seller of GIS in the world | Student Honorary Doctorate | |
| Eddy Hartenstein | Co-president of Tribune Company; publisher and CEO of the Los Angeles Times and Los Angeles Times Magazine | Student | |
| Kevin Lyman | Creator of touring music and extreme sports festivals called the Warped Tour, the Taste of Chaos and the Mayhem tours | Student | |
| Satoshi Nakamoto | Alleged founder of bitcoin digital currency | Student | |
| Paul Tollett | Along with brother Perry Tollett, founder of Coachella and Stagecoach, and developers for the Pomona Fox Theater and The Glass House in Pomona | Student | |
| Perry Tollett | Along with brother Paul Tollett, founder of Coachella and Stagecoach, and developers for the Pomona Fox Theater and The Glass House in Pomona | Student | |
| Corrinne Yu | Game programmer | Student |
Education
Entertainment
| Alumni | Notability | Relationship to Cal Poly Pomona | Citation |
| Roy Conli | Academy Award winner for Best Animated Feature for the 2014 Walt Disney Animation Studios film Big Hero 6 at the 87th Academy Awards in 2015. | Student | |
| Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen | Vietnamese-American personality and co-host of Thuy Nga's Paris by Night shows | Student | |
| Kye Palmer | Trumpet player who performs with The Tonight Show Band | Student | |
| Will Pan | American-born Taiwanese singer, rapper and drama actor; started his career as a host of Channel V programs | Student | |
| Michael Steger | Actor; best known for his role as Navid Shirazi on The CW's teen drama series 90210 | Student | |
| Carol Vaness | Metropolitan Opera soprano | Student | |
| Forest Whitaker | Academy Award-winning actor, director and host of UPN's revival of The Twilight Zone | Student | |
| James Williamson | Guitarist for punk rock band The Stooges; later Vice President for Technology Standards for Sony | Student | |
| Larry Wilmore | Host of The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore; writer and actor for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Office; creator of The Bernie Mac Show | Student | |
| Marc Wilmore | Writer for In Living Color, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and The PJs; writer and producer for The Simpsons | Student | |
| Dr DisRespect | Popular livestreamer, esports streamer of the year. | Student |
Government
| Alumni | Notability | Relationship to Cal Poly Pomona | Citation |
| Jim Brulte | Former Republican leader of the California State Senate | Student | |
| Jonathan D. Farrar | Chief of Mission of the United States Interests Section in Havana, Cuba | Student | |
| Geoffrey Okamoto | Economist and Assistant Secretary of the Treasury | Student | |
| Richard Pombo | Republican member of the United States House of Representatives | Student | |
| Marie Royce | Republican Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs under President Donald Trump, recipient of 1994 Distinguished Alumni Award | Student, Former Faculty | |
| Hilda Solis | Democratic United States Secretary of Labor under President Barack Obama, former member of the United States House of Representatives | Student | |
| Chuck Walker | Republican Mayor, city of Scotts Valley, California 1999–2000, candidate for Governor of California 2003 | Student |
Faculty
Active faculty
| Faculty | Notability |
| Gabriel Georgiades | Professor of aerospace engineering and author; has been the Regional Chair, Chair-Elect, VC of Education and Advisory Committee representative; former "Evolution of Flight" Program Officer for the San Gabriel Valley Region of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics |
| Christoph Kapeller | Architecture lecturer; founding member of Norwegian firm Snohetta; design leader for the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Alexandria, Egypt |
| Renford Reese | Professor of Political Science; author; founder and director of the "Colorful Flags" program aimed at reducing ethnic and racial tensions, servicing 17 school districts and a variety of law enforcement, social service, and other agencies in Southern California |
| Louis Rosenberg | Entrepreneur, author, screenwriter, inventor, and professor |
| Hilda Solis | Democratic United States Secretary of Labor under President Barack Obama; former member of the United States House of Representatives; scholar-in-residence starting in 2014 |
| Michael Woo | Dean of the College of Environmental Design; former Los Angeles city councilman; in 1993 became the first Asian American to run for mayor of a major city; garnered 46 percent of the vote but lost the race for mayor of Los Angeles to Richard Riordan |
Retired, deceased, and former faculty
| Faculty | Notability |
| Virginia Hamilton Adair | Poet, author of Ants on the Melon |
| Aaron Betsky | Served as visiting instructor in the Department of Architecture |
| Paul Caligiuri | Head soccer coach and National Soccer Hall of Fame player whose 1990 "Goal Heard Round the World" launched the United States into the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 40 years; resigned as head coach after the 2008 season |
| Craig Ellwood | Lecturer at the Department of Architecture; influential Mid Century Modern architect |
| Ray Kappe | Former faculty; founding Chair of the Department of Architecture; later founded the Southern California Institute of Architecture |
| Saul Landau | Director of digital media programs, noted internationally for his films and writing on domestic policy and cultural issues; recipient of a 1980 Emmy |
| John T. Lyle | Professor of landscape architecture; namesake of the Lyle Center for Regenerative Studies at Cal Poly Pomona and the Lyle plaza at the entrance to Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies at Oberlin College |
| Thom Mayne | Former professor in the Department of Architecture; principal of Morphosis; Pritzker Prize laureate; co-founder of Southern California Institute of Architecture |
| Ronald Muldrow | Jazz guitarist and former member of the music faculty |
| Richard Neutra | Lecturer in the early days of the Department of Architecture; influential Mid Century Modern architect featured on the cover of Time magazine |
| Donald H. Pflueger | Historian, educator, prolific author of local stories; a founding member of the Glendora Historical Society and Pomona Valley Historical Society; served on the Board of Directors of the Historical Society of Southern California |
| James Pulliam | Modernist, instructor and campus architect; designed the bookstore, W. Keith and Janet Kellogg Art Gallery, and student union building |
| Michele Saee | Visiting instructor in the Department of Architecture, 1998–1999 |
| Raphael Soriano | Noted modernist architect who experimented with steel in residential construction; appointed Special Sessions Instructor |
| Takeo Uesugi | Professor emeritus in Landscape Architecture noted for his work in Japanese gardens; designed the garden at The Washington Center in Washington, D.C., among other notable landmarks |
| Martín Vásquez | Assistant association football coach in 1999 and 2000; head coach of C.D. Chivas USA, in Major League Soccer |
| Richard Saul Wurman | Former Dean of the College of Environmental Design, founder of the TED conference, credited with coining the term "information architect" |
| Bernard Zimmerman | Modernist architect, architecture instructor for over 30 years, helped co-found the department along with Ray Kappe |
University presidents
The following people have served as presidents of Cal Poly Pomona:| # | Name | Term | Citation |
| 1 | Julian A. McPhee | 1938-1966 | |
| 2 | Robert C. Kramer | 1966-1977 | |
| 3 | Hugh O. LaBounty | 1977-1991 | |
| 4 | Bob H. Suzuki | 1991-2003 | |
| 5 | J. Michael Ortiz | 2003-2014 | |
| 6 | Soraya M. Coley | 2015-present |
Honorary degrees
Cal Poly Pomona has conferred 16 honorary doctorate degrees since 1969.| Name | Degree | Year | Notes | Citation |
| Andrew J.C. Cherng | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2008 | Founder and chairman of the board for Panda Express Restaurant Group | |
| Julia Child | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2000 | Chef, author, and television personality, host of The French Chef | |
| James A. Collins | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1992 | ||
| Jack Dangermond | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2005 | Business executive and environmental scientist, co-founder of the Environmental Systems Research Institute | |
| Richard N. Frank | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2009 | Entrepreneur, chairman of Lawry's Restaurants, Inc. | |
| Bob B. Huntley | Doctor of Science | 2009 | Businessman, farmer, owner of Huntley Moore Farms | |
| W.K. Kellogg | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1998 | ||
| Will Keith Kellogg II | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1998 | ||
| Russell G. Mawby | Doctor of Science | 1989 | ||
| Emory W. Morris | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1969 | ||
| Charles R. Oliver | Doctor of Science | 1996 | ||
| Stuart Sperber | Doctor of Science | 2007 | ||
| Charles Brown Voorhis | Doctor of Laws | 1995 | ||
| Michi Nishiura Weglyn | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1993 | ||
| Norman Williamson Jr. | Doctor of Letters | 1995 |