Executive Leadership

Biography

In her role as Interim Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion and Senior Diversity Officer, Dr. Isom leads the university's strategic initiatives aimed at fostering an inclusive and equitable campus environment.  

Dr. Isom previously served as the Chair of the Ethnic Studies Department. Her scholarship and research agenda centers on racialized gender identity in African American children. Previous and current studies have explored the manifestations and implications of identity in various social context including schools and churches. Her research interests also include work on the racialized nature of congregational life, First Nations boarding school policies and implications, as well as race, gender, and schooling. Her work has been presented at numerous national and international academic conferences and published in locations that include: The Urban Review, Oxford Handbook of Feminist Multicultural Counseling Psychology, International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Science, Teaching Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education, The Journal of Race, Equality and Teaching, and Boy Culture: An Encyclopedia. 

Dr. Denise Isom received her doctorate in Socio-Cultural Anthropology of Education from Loyola University, Chicago. She earned her Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Multicultural Education along with a B.S. in Engineering and B.A. in African American Studies at the University of California at Davis.  

Biography

Dr. Jennifer Teramoto Pedrotti is the Associate Vice President for DEI Academic Initiatives in the Office of University Diversity and Inclusion (OUDI). In conjunction with the Office of the Provost, and working closely with the Associate Deans for Diversity in each college, Dr. Teramoto Pedrotti leads efforts toward increasing equity in academic areas across the campus toward the goal of a more inclusive and diverse Cal Poly. Some of her primary projects include the university-wide DEI-focused Cluster Hires and the development of aligned Diversity Action Plans across Academic Affairs and associated units. Additionally, Dr. Teramoto Pedrotti leads assessment and data analysis efforts within the OUDI Office, including those that relate to Cal Poly’s status as an MSI and an emerging HSI. She will also lead efforts toward the development and maintenance of the DEI Scholarly Collective, beginning in the 2024-2025 academic year.  

Prior to her current position, Dr. Teramoto Pedrotti served as the inaugural Associate Dean for Diversity and Curriculum in the College of Liberal Arts. In that role she was responsible for all DEI-related initiatives in the college, including the CLA DEI-focused cluster hires, and lead the quarter-to-semester curriculum process, and assessment efforts for the college. Dr. Teramoto Pedrotti came to Cal Poly in 2003 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology and Child Development and taught and created courses in Multicultural Psychology, Intergroup Dialogues, Introduction to Positive Psychology, and Introduction to Clinical and Counseling Psychology. Her research focuses on the intersections of multiculturalism and positive psychology with an emphasis on the understanding of strengths within cultural context. She is an author of 2 textbooks and 1 edited volume, and her work has been published in many journals in her field.  

Dr. Teramoto Pedrotti holds doctoral and master’s degrees in Counseling Psychology from the University of Kansas, and bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and English from the University of California at Davis.  

Biography

Dr. Beya Makekau, a first-generation Queer Latina from Sacramento, CA, is the Associate Vice President for Strategic Planning and Networks in the Office of University Diversity and Inclusion. With a focus on multidisciplinary collaborations, transformational change, and radical hope, she leads initiatives like Cal Poly’s Pathway to Becoming a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), the Diversity Partners Network, the Campus Climate Advisory Council, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) strategic Planning, and City and County Collaborations.  

Before returning to Cal Poly, she served as the inaugural DEI Manager for the City of San Luis Obispo and has extensive experience building and implementing DEI initiatives in higher education, city and state governments, and corporate arenas. Dr. Makekau’s career is dedicated to advancing educational equity, promoting racial justice, and fostering intersectional inclusion. Her leadership is rooted in the deep belief that diversity drives excellence, with equity at its center. She can often be heard uttering the phrase “With Purpose, On Purpose,” encapsulating her commitment to ensuring the voices of communities historically marginalized by systemic inequities intentionally inform the programs and policies implemented at Cal Poly to advance DEI.   

Dr. Makekau holds undergraduate and master's degrees in Ethnic Studies from University of Oregon and San Francisco State, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Administration from Fresno State.