WELLESLEY HILLS (July 8, 2015) – Yves Salomon-Fernandez, Ph.D. has been named Interim President of Massachusetts Bay Community College to succeed President John O’Donnell who will retire this summer.
At a specially convened meeting this morning, the Board unanimously accepted President O’Donnell’s nomination to appoint Salomon-Fernandez, who currently serves as the College’s Vice President for Strategic Planning and Partnership Advancement and as the Executive Officer for MassBay’s Framingham campus, to the position. Pending approval from the Commissioner and the Board of Higher Education, Salomon-Fernandez will assume the new post on August 17.
“Yves’s passion and commitment to MassBay’s mission are unparalleled,” said Tom Peisch, acting chair of the Board of Trustees. “Through her vision and leadership, Yves has strengthened our presence and engagement within the community and introduced MassBay to key strategic partnerships. We look forward to continued innovation and growth under Yves’s leadership as MassBay begins its presidential search.”
As the executive officer for the College’s Framingham campus, she currently provides day-to-day management on the College’s second-largest campus, which serves about 2,000 students at its Flagg Street location. In her role, she has provided vision and leadership for the College’s plans to bring a new $59 million campus to downtown Framingham, a move largely touted by local businesses, legislators, and residents as a boon to town’s economy.
Most recently, she led the College’s 10-year accreditation and renewal process, collaborating with faculty and staff across academic divisions and administrative departments in the self-evaluation process.
In the past five years, Salomon-Fernandez has also significantly strengthened MassBay’s profile within the community and increased the College’s engagement with industry leaders in the science and engineering fields and with regional colleges and universities.
Salomon-Fernandez has helped facilitate a partnership with Boston College to bring more than $1 million from the National Science Foundation to create STEM pathways for local high school students. She has also worked closely with Framingham State University leaders to secure a $500,000 grant to establish the MetroWest College Planning Center to create a college pipeline for underrepresented and underserved populations in the region.
In addition, Salomon-Fernandez has helped establish a professional mentoring program with Genzyme, a Sanofi company and the fifth largest international pharmaceutical company. The program, which launched this past academic year, pairs MassBay students with scientists at Genzyme for mentorship, internship opportunities, and skills training.
“I look forward to working with the exceptional faculty and staff at MassBay and our partners in this new capacity, to provide high quality education and co-curricular experiences for the students of MetroWest.” Salomon-Fernandez said. “I thank President O'Donnell for having been a great mentor to me and for having established a foundation at MassBay that I can build upon. I am humbled by the Board’s decision and honored to continue to serve the College.”
Salomon-Fernandez joined MassBay in 2010 as the Dean of Institutional Planning, Research and Assessment. In 2013, she was appointed Vice President for Strategic Planning, Institutional Effectiveness, and Grants Development, and in 2015, she assumed her current post as Vice President for Strategic Planning and Partnership Advancement.
In addition to her current role at MassBay, she also serves as adjunct teaching faculty at Salem State University, where she teaches graduate-level courses in research methods, leadership, assessment, and evaluation. Previously, she served as the director of planning and assessment at UMass Boston and in various research, policy, and management roles at Boston College, the state’s Department of Education, and the Mayor’s Office in the City of Boston.
In addition, she currently sits on the Executive Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Network of the American Council on Education’s National Network of Women Leaders, the MetroWest Chamber of Commerce, the MetroWest/495 Corridor Partnership, and co-chairs the Governor’s STEM Council, College & Career Readiness Committee. She has also participated in multiple statewide reviews of K-12 schools and higher education teacher preparation programs, and conducted accreditation reviews of public and private higher education institutions.
Salomon-Fernandez earned her Ph.D. in educational research, measurement, and evaluation from Boston College, her master’s degree in economic history from the London School of Economics, and her bachelor’s degree in political science and international relations from the University of Massachusetts, Boston. She is fluent in four languages: English, French, Haitian Creole, and Spanish.
MassBay Community College is a comprehensive, open-access college dedicated to student learning and achievement through academically rigorous courses and programs. MassBay awards associate degrees and certificates in more than 70 academic programs in the liberal arts and in career-driven fields, such as business, health sciences, and automotive technology. On the college’s three campuses in Wellesley Hills, Framingham, and Ashland, as well as online, MassBay offers day, evening, and weekend classes that meet the needs of degree-seeking students and career-minded life-long learners.
More information about MassBay and the upcoming academic semesters can be found at www.massbay.edu, or by calling (781) 239-2411.