Dr. Paula P. Pando serves as the fourth president of Reynolds Community College. She assumed office in September of 2018. Dr. Pando is a strategic, forward-thinking educator with nearly 30 years of experience in both public and private higher education. The daughter of immigrants, she was the first in her family to earn a college degree. She is fluent in both Spanish and English and has a profound commitment to educational opportunity and equity. Prior to Reynolds, Dr. Pando served as Senior Vice President for Student and Educational Services at Hudson County Community College; located in one of the most diverse counties in America.

Dr. Pando is a frequent keynote speaker or panelist on topics ranging from workforce development, to managing organizational change, to equitable student success. She has provided expert testimony before the NJ State Senate Committee on Higher Education on a wide range of issues facing community college students, and recently chaired a statewide task force in Virginia that examined and developed recommendations to address the multiple factors that adversely impact student success and completion. She currently serves on several boards including The Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities, Venture Richmond, the Community Foundation for a Greater Richmond, The Valentine, GO Virginia Region 4, the Higher Education Research and Development Institute (HERDI) South, and AACC’s President’s Academy Executive Committee.

Dr. Pando’s strong student advocacy and contributions to the field of higher education have been recognized at the local, state, and national levels. In 2014, she was recognized by the New Jersey Council on County Colleges with the Community College Spirit Award for her contributions to statewide policy changes that impacted students. In 2017, she was one of 38 community college leaders selected from across the country for the Aspen Institute’s Presidential Fellowship, a rigorous applied executive fellowship in partnership with Stanford University. In 2021, she was awarded the Dana Hamel Leadership Award, the highest award bestowed by the Virginia Community College System for her leadership in the development of the system’s ambitious six-year strategic plan. In 2023, Dr. Pando received the Outstanding Woman in Education Award from the YWCA Richmond.

Dr. Pando earned a doctorate in educational leadership from Rowan University, an M.A. in education administration from Saint Peter’s University, and a B.A. from Stockton University. Dr. Pando is the proud mother of three adult children, Jake, Luke, and Isabella and lives with her husband Eric in Glen Allen, VA.