Community College Education Expert Dr. Gail O. Mellow

Dr. Gail O. Mellow is President of LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, Queens. A member of the City University of New York (CUNY) system, LaGuardia is a two-year institution serving over 50,000 students from 163 different countries that speak 119 different native languages.

In June, Dr. Mellow served on a panel at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s first annual summer conference to discuss issues concerning community colleges before an audience of higher education and business leaders. Entitled, “Postsecondary Success Initiative: Doubling the Numbers 2009,” the panel included nationally recognized educators, in addition to Dr. Martha Kanter, the newly nominated undersecretary of education for the U.S. Department of Education.

Since Dr. Mellow joined LaGuardia in 2000, the College has won numerous awards, among them the prestigious 2006 MetLife Foundation Community College Excellence Award for Service to Underserved Students, and was named one of the Top Three Large Community Colleges by the Community College Survey of Student Engagement.

A nationally recognized expert on the history, development and future of the American community college, Dr. Mellow is in demand as a speaker both here and abroad. She has shared her expertise with educators and public officials in several countries, including Chile, Greece, France and China. On a national level, Dr. Mellow has received numerous awards, sits on various boards and has presented to audiences throughout the country on the vital role that community colleges play in educating students for a global economy and spurring job creation.

As the co-author of Minding the Dream: The Process and Practice of the American Community College (Rowman & Littlefield, 2008), Dr. Mellow has also co-authored over thirty articles on community colleges, economic development and job training, diversity, faculty development and pedagogical innovation.