California State University Board of Trustees recently named Vanya Quinones the eighth president of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and the school’s first Latina leader, at a yearly salary of $492,500.

In addition to her salary, Quinones “will continue to be eligible to receive an annual deferred contribution of $61,244 to the CSU 457(f) Deferred Compensation Plan for Executives,” according documents attached to the CSU Board’s March 11 meeting agenda. She will also “be eligible to participate in the performance-based at-risk pay program. Per CSU’s Executive Compensation Policy, this incentive compensation is not guaranteed, and is directly tied to the university’s strategic priorities, with goals and outcomes reviewed annually. The potential incentive pay is up to 5% of base salary and is funded with non-state, non-tuition and non-student-fee sources.” Quinones will also receive a $1,000-per-month auto allowance, and “Standard benefit provisions afforded CSU Executive classification employees.”

“I am profoundly honored to be chosen to lead Cal Poly Pomona, become part of its long and impressive history and contribute to its future vision,” Quinones wrote in a statement at  cpp.edu/news. “I am drawn to Cal Poly Pomona’s strong focus on measuring success by the opportunities it creates and the impact it has on students, families and the surrounding community. I welcome the opportunity to work in partnership with the campus community to support the continued success of the institution and advance its mission for years to come.”

Currently president of Cal State Monterey Bay, a position she has held since 2022, Quinones will take over for Iris Levine, who had served as interim president of Cal Poly Pomona since July 2025, on July 1.

Quinones has had a 30-year career in education. At CSU Monterey Bay she helped grow enrollment, improve the university’s budget outlook and increase research funding and donations, according to a Cal Poly Pomona news release. Previously she was provost, executive vice president for academic affairs, and a professor of psychology at Pace University in New York and associate provost for student success and retention and a professor at Hunter College’s Department of Psychology in New York.

As a neurobiologist and biopsychologist, Quinones helped pioneer research “that described gender differences in the brain and helped change the course of future research in that area,” according to the news release. She holds degrees from the University of Puerto Rico and Rutgers University.

“Dr. Quinones is an innovative and data-driven decision maker who aligns institutional priorities with student needs to support immediate progress and long-term stability,” Diego Arambula, vice chair of CSU Board of Trustees and chair of the Cal Poly Pomona Presidential Search Committee, wrote in a statement. “Under her leadership at Cal State Monterey Bay, the university has thrived, and the committee is confident that her record of success will continue in service to Cal Poly Pomona.”