Montgomery College -- Dr. DeRionne P. Pollard has been named as the next president of Montgomery College, a community college located in Montgomery County, Maryland. The College’s Board of Trustees made the announcement this morning in a communication to students, faculty, and staff.
Dr. Pollard brings 15 years of community college teaching and leadership experience to Montgomery College. She currently serves as the president of Las Positas College in Livermore, California.
“The Board of Trustees looks forward to the leadership that Dr. Pollard will bring to one of the country’s best community colleges,” said Dr. Michael Lin, chair of the Montgomery College Board of Trustees. “Throughout the search process, Dr. Pollard impressed both the board and the search advisory committee by her passion and devotion to the advancement of the community college mission and the students we serve. Montgomery College students have long benefited from the dedication of faculty and staff, and the support from alumni, elected officials, business leaders, and the community. Dr. Pollard has the perfect combination of experience and leadership skills to help Montgomery College build on our long history of success and move confidently into the future.”
Dr. Pollard will officially start her role as president on August 2, 2010. She will become the ninth chief executive officer in the College’s 64-year history.
“I am thankful and truly honored that the Board of Trustees selected me as the next president of Montgomery College,” said Dr Pollard. “I am impressed with the caliber of the faculty, staff, administrators and students at Montgomery College. I look forward to meeting and learning from them and the alumni, donors, business community and elected officials who support this wonderful institution and its mission of changing lives.”
The board’s selection of Dr. Pollard marks the culmination of a five-month, nationwide search. A 17-member presidential search advisory committee, chaired by Trustee Steve Kaufman, assisted in the process and reviewed more than 50 applications for the position. The committee consisted of members of the Montgomery College Board of Trustees, faculty, staff and students, the Montgomery College Alumni Association, Montgomery College Foundation, Montgomery County Public Schools, Universities at Shady Grove, and the community. The committee was supported by executive search firm Greenwood/Asher and Associates, Inc., led by Dr. Jan Greenwood and Dr. Betty Asher.
Since 2008, Dr. Pollard has led Las Positas College as its president. Under her leadership, the community college has seen nearly a 15 percent increase in enrollment while also implementing an aggressive $230 million facilities modernization program. She pursued and encouraged new and expanded strategic community partnerships, which have led to the increased recognition of Las Positas College within the Tri-Valley region, the state of California, and the country as an institution dedicated to student success and community transformation. Additionally, Las Positas College recently underwent a successful reaccreditation process.
Dr. Pollard’s community college career began as a professor of English at the College of Lake County (IL) in 1995. She taught courses ranging from developmental reading and college composition to minority literature and early American literature. Additionally, she developed the institution’s award-winning New Faculty Institute and its Center for Teaching and Learning. After several progressive administrative positions, Dr. Pollard was selected as the college’s vice president of educational affairs. She served in the position until her appointment as president of Las Positas College.
Dr. Pollard serves on the boards of the Tri-Valley YMCA and EdSource. She is a member of the Commission on Research and Emerging Trends for the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and the Presidents’ Round Table of the National Council of Black American Affairs. Additionally, Dr. Pollard was appointed to the Commission on the Future of the Community College League of California, a taskforce dedicated to developing a vision for the future of the California Community College System.
Dr. Pollard frequently speaks on subjects such as leadership development, institutional advancement, and equity issues in higher education. She has a deep-rooted commitment to teaching and learning, championing equity and access, professional development, and community partnerships.
Dr. Pollard received her Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy studies in higher education from Loyola University Chicago, and both her M.A. and B.A. in English from Iowa State University.
She and her partner of over 20 years, Robyn A. Jones, are the proud parents of a three-year-old son, Myles Julian Pollard-Jones.
Montgomery College is a public, open admissions community college with campuses in Germantown, Rockville, and Takoma Park/Silver Spring. The College serves nearly 60,000 students a year, through both credit and noncredit programs, in more than 100 areas of study.
For more information about Montgomery College, visit www.montgomerycollege.edu.
