​​José A. Gómez is a proud product of the California State University (CSU) system. He is provost emeritus at Cal State LA and is currently serving as interim superintendent/president of Pasadena City College (PCC). 

José and Catherine Gómez are deeply committed to supporting CSU students, faculty and staff. Over the years, at Cal State LA, they have endowed programs in the Honors College, the College of Natural and Social Sciences and the Chicanx Latinx University Association. In addition, at Cal Poly Pomona, they have established endowments to support basic needs and recognize faculty excellence. Dr. Gómez is a past vice president of the CPP Alumni Association and currently serves on the Dean's Circle advisory board for the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences at Cal Poly Pomona.

Dr. Gómez was raised in La Puente, in the San Gabriel Valley. A first-generation college student, he enrolled at Cal Poly Pomona through the CSU’s Educational Opportunity Program (EOP). There, he served as student body president and chair of the 23-campus Cal State Student Association while earning his bachelor’s degree in sociology. Dr. Gómez, who was named a CSU Chancellor's Doctoral Incentive Program Scholar, went on to earn master’s degrees in political science and public administration, as well as a Ph.D. in political science, from the University of Southern California, where he was a President Steven B. Sample Fellow. In April 2019, he received Cal Poly Pomona’s distinguished alumnus award.​

Before joining PCC, Dr. Gómez served as executive vice president, provost and chief operating officer at Cal State LA. Prior to starting at the CSU, he served as higher education adviser to the president pro tempore of the California Senate and as executive director of the California Educational Facilities Authority, the state’s higher education facilities financing agency. He also held senior positions in the California Department of Justice and the state Treasurer’s Office.