PAULA PANDO

If there’s an overarching theme to Paula Pando’s presidency of Reynolds Community College, she says, it’s removing barriers to completing degrees for the 15,000-plus students who attend classes each year at the college’s various campuses. Such efforts have included opening food pantries, providing mental health services and establishing the Finish Line Fund, which provides tuition support and emergency assistance payments aimed at helping students graduate.

“We see life getting in the way of really smart people who don’t have a lot of resources,” says Pando, who became Reynolds’ president in 2018.

Another initiative, specifically aimed at helping male students of color return to finish degrees, ultimately saw 600 students come back to campus. “We worked our hearts out,” she says of the team effort.

The daughter of Chilean immigrants, Pando saw firsthand the sacrifices her parents made so she could pursue higher education. But she’d never considered a career in the field until a work study opportunity at New Jersey’s Stockton University as an undergraduate. “It turned a light on to a career I didn’t know existed and pursued with everything.”

Pando is passionate about minority-serving institutions in urban areas, and she’s driven by a profound belief that community colleges serve an important role in democratizing access to education. She’s also a perpetual learner; Pando has twice been selected for the Aspen Institute’s Presidents Fellowship and is currently participating in the yearlong program to refine her strategies for Reynolds.

Away from work, she enjoys cooking. “It’s my way to show love to family and friends.”

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