Angel Coaston

Dean, School of Nursing | College of Health Science

Angel Coaston began service as the inaugural dean of Pepperdine’s School of Nursing in the College of Health Science on July 1, 2024. Coaston has more than 10 years of experience as a full-time faculty member with administrative responsibilities in university settings, bringing innovations to nursing schools in the areas of population health and school-based, community-based, and faith-based nursing. She came to Pepperdine from California Baptist University, where she served as associate dean of clinical academic practice partnerships and associate professor of nursing. Previously at Azusa Pacific University, Coaston served as the director of the master of science in nursing program and as the site director of the School of Nursing Inland Empire regional campus. At Loma Linda University Medical Center, Coaston was the executive director of case management and transitional care management and the manager of community health development, where she planned, developed, and implemented innovations to bridge the gap in the care continuum across the healthcare system. 

Before and throughout her years in academia, Coaston has devoted her professional skills to the work of the Well of Healing Mobile Medical Clinic, which she cofounded and where she served as the CEO. Under her leadership, a team of clinic volunteers provided free primary care services to homeless, uninsured, and underinsured community members in San Bernardino County. She has also enabled the clinic to partner with universities and health systems and secured more than $1 million to support its operations. Coaston serves on the board of trustees at two local hospitals, on the board of directors for two nonprofit community-based organizations, and as a consultant for a mission-driven organization seeking to improve the health of communities that lack access to healthcare and to transform health systems.

Coaston earned a bachelor of science in nursing from the University of Phoenix and master of science in nursing and family nurse practitioner degrees from Western University of Health Sciences. She holds a PhD in nursing from the University of California, San Francisco, and a School Nurse Services Credential from Azusa Pacific University.

Email: angel.coaston@pepperdine.edu