President and Leadership

Jeffrey D. Armstrong began his tenure as Cal Poly's ninth permanent president on February 1, 2011. Before joining Cal Poly, he served as dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and professor of Animal Science at Michigan State University, beginning in 2001. Armstrong was head of the Department of Animal Sciences at Purdue University from 1997 to 2001 and served in various positions at North Carolina State University from 1986 through 1997. Armstrong attended Murray State University in Kentucky, where he earned a bachelor's degree in agriculture in 1981. He earned both a master's (1984) and doctorate (1986) in physiology and endocrinology from North Carolina State University.

As Cal Poly Solano Campus' chief administrative officer, Corey Cook provides strategic leadership across all operations, including planning, development, enrollment, compliance and risk management. Cook holds bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and Peace and Conflict Studies from UC Berkeley, and master’s and doctoral degrees in Political Science and Public Policy from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Before joining Cal Poly, he served as Executive Vice President and Provost at Saint Mary’s College of California, Founding Dean of the School of Public Service at Boise State University and Executive Director of the Leo T. McCarthy Center at the University of San Francisco. A Professor of Political Science, Cook’s scholarship centers on electoral and institutional reform, California politics, public opinion and political representation. He has published in leading journals and teaches courses on environmental policy, urban politics, American government and data analysis.

A native of Half Moon Bay, California, Admiral Jones is a 36-year veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard, having commanded three Coast Guard cutters, including the three-masted training barque, USCGC EAGLE – America’s Tall Ship. He has logged nearly 13 years of sea time on the Atlantic, Pacific and Caribbean Basins and holds an unlimited tonnage Master Mariner Credential for oceangoing vessels, sail and power.

Assistant Superintendent of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy from 2012 to 2014, Admiral Jones was instrumental in the development of future Service leaders, having also previously served as a Mathematics and Leadership Instructor, and an Offshore Sailing Coach.

Admiral Jones is a 1987 graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. He also holds a Master of Science in Applied Mathematics from Brown University, and a Master of Business Administration from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan Fellows Program.

A Cal Poly Maritime Academy ’00 graduate in Marine Transportation, Captain Samar Bannister spent more than 14 years at sea with Maersk and Ocean Ships, supporting missions including Operation Iraqi Freedom. A licensed Master Mariner, she now returns as Captain of the Training Ship Golden Bear—eager to mentor future mariners and give back to her alma mater.