Joined the board in: 2021

Professional title: President, Reynolds Community College

Dr. Paula Pando has 30 years of experience in both public and private higher education. Since 2018, she has served as president of Reynolds Community College, which enrolls over 15,000 students across four campuses in the Richmond region.  The daughter of immigrants, Dr. Pando is fluent in both Spanish and English, and has a profound commitment to educational opportunity and equity.   

Dr. Pando currently serves on several boards including ChamberRVA, the Valentine Museum, Go Virginia, the Higher Education Research and Development Institute (HERDI) South, and Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities.  In 2017, she was selected for the Aspen Institute’s Presidential Fellowship, a rigorous 10-month applied executive leadership program in partnership with Stanford University.  Dr. Pando has been recognized for her tireless dedication to students and the community by the New Jersey Council on County Colleges with the Community College Spirit Award in 2014, the Dana Hamel Award in 2021 (the highest leadership award bestowed by the Virginia Community College System) and was inducted into the inaugural class of Women Who Drive Richmond, presented by the Richmond Times Dispatch and Richmond Raceway.

Dr. Pando earned an Ed.D. in educational leadership from Rowan University, an M.A. in education administration from Saint Peter’s University, and a B.A. from Stockton University.  She is the proud mother of three adult children, Jake, Luke and Isabella.