About the President
In June 2023, Dr. Pamela Ralston was appointed President of Los Medanos College, after
having served as Interim President since January 2023. Prior to joining LMC, Dr.
Ralston served as the President of Santiago Canyon College (SCC), where she worked
closely with the community to enhance partnerships with business, governmental and
community organizations, as well as with the K-12 and higher education institutions
in the area. Prior to joining SCC, Dr. Ralston was the Executive Vice President for
Educational Programs at Santa Barbara Community College District, overseeing academic
affairs, student services, and institutional research. She previously served as Vice
President for Student Learning at College of the Desert, overseeing the academic affairs
of the college. Earlier in her career, she enjoyed eight years as Dean of Arts, Humanities,
and Social Sciences at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo. Before moving into administration,
Dr. Ralston was a faculty member and division chair of English and Written Communications
at Tacoma Community College (TCC), where she taught composition, American Ethnic Literature
and developmental studies in writing and reading. Before joining TCC, she served
as lecturer at the University of Washington in American Ethnic Studies.
Dr. Ralston received her bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Oregon and her Master of Arts and doctoral degrees in Comparative Literature from the University of Washington, where she taught as a graduate student in the Comparative Literature, English, and American Ethnic Studies Departments. She has earned excellence in teaching awards from both Tacoma Community College and the University of Washington and was honored with a Fulbright fellowship for doctoral research at the Royal Library and University of Copenhagen in Denmark.
