Title: Director of College Guidance
Company: The School of Los Angeles
Location: Pasadena, California, United States
Bruce J. Poch, Director of College Guidance at The School of Los Angeles, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Educators for dedication, achievements, and leadership in academic administration.
With decades of experience in the field of education to his credit, Mr. Poch has excelled as the director of college guidance at The School of Los Angeles since 2023, where he focuses on admissions and counseling in higher education. In addition to this position, he has been active as a member of the Board of Academic Advisors with QuestBridge since 2008, the principal of Bruce Poch Consulting since 2011, and a senior advisor with The Global Leadership Incubator, an extension of QuestBridge dedicated to supporting exiles from Tibet, since 2012. Between 2012 and 2023, he further contributed to the Chadwick School in a number of posts, including as the director of college counseling, special counsel to the head of the school, the executive director of college counseling, and the dean of admission. He previously served as the assistant director of admissions for Connecticut College from 1978 to 1979, the associate dean of admissions for Wesleyan University from 1979 to 1987, the dean of admissions for Pomona College from 1987 to 2010, and the vice president of Pomona College from 1995 to 2010. Mr. Poch began his career as an intern with Oberlin College and Conservatory in 1977.
A native of Elizabeth, New Jersey, Mr. Poch supported his professional ambitions by earning a Bachelor of Arts in government and English from Oberlin College and Conservatory and a Master of Education in administration, planning and social policy from Harvard University. Driven by the plight of marginalized students without the financial gain or circumstances to pursue higher education, he attributes his success to the leadership and commitment of the universities for which he worked to their faculty and students, exhibited through the diversification of the student population, acquiring and providing essential resources, and the freedom to speak vocally on important issues relevant to the broader national conversation. He is renowned for his direct approach to his work and insightful attitude, which has been on display in The New York Times, NPR, and Newsweek, among other records of note. Looking toward the future, Mr. Poch hopes to establish a sustainable program in his current post before shifting to a consulting role in the coming years.
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