From Prof to Admin

podcastOPTalks
Written By Open Plaza

Rev. Dr. Joanne Rodriguez talks with Dr. Luis G. Pedraja about transitioning between roles and the lessons learned

Photo by Bruno Scramgnon

 
 

In this episode of OP Talks, Rev. Dr. Joanne Rodriguez, HTI Executive Director, talks with Dr. Luis G. Pedraja, President of Quinsigamond Community College, about his leadership trajectory from professor to senior administrator. The Cuban-born theologian started his career as a faculty member before becoming a chair, then later a dean and a provost. He describes transitioning between roles and the lessons learned. “You have to get buy-in from the people you are leading,” Dr. Pedraja says, looking back at his earlier days as an administrator. “If that doesn’t happen, whether you are right or wrong, it doesn’t matter. You have to be a leader that brings people along with you.”

 
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Luis Pedraja

Dr. Luis G. Pedraja is President of Quinsigamond Community College (QCC). He was born in Cuba, and throughout his career, has focused on Latino perspectives, and has published many books and articles exploring how understanding language and culture can promote intercultural dialogue and tolerance. He holds a BA from Stetson University and a PhD in Philosophy and Religion from the University of Virginia. He has been on faculty at the University of Puget Sound and Southern Methodist University, where he also served as a division chair and faculty senator. Additionally, he served as Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean at the Memphis Theological Seminary and as Vice President for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. He also led the first program to grant American accreditation to foreign universities and has provided guidance to universities in South America, Asia, and Europe on achieving American higher education standards. Additionally, he has served as Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Antioch University in Los Angeles and Interim Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs for Peralta Community College District in California. Dr. Pedraja serves on multiple boards in the region, the state, and the nation, including: United Way, Latino Education Institute, Masshire Central Region Workforce Board, Worcester Regional Research Bureau, and Co-Chair of the Mayoral Commission for Latino Advancement and Education. He was recently appointed to represent the Massachusetts community colleges in the Governor’s newly formed Healthcare Collaborative and serves on the American Association of Community Colleges’ (AACC) Commission on Institutional Infrastructure & Technology. Dr. Pedraja lives in Worcester with his wife and daughter.

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Joanne Rodríguez

Rev. Dr. Joanne Rodríguez is Executive Director of the Hispanic Theological Initiative (HTI) and an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church USA. Since 1999, Rev. Dr. Rodríguez has collaborated with students, faculty, deans, presidents, and directors of non-profit educational programs to ensure that HTI doctoral students graduate as influential leaders in theological and religious education and the broader educational landscape. She holds an honorary doctorate from the Iliff School of Theology, where she served as the Commencement Speaker for the class of 2024. She also earned ThM and MDiv degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary and a BA from Pace University. The Association of Theological Schools (ATS) recognized her contributions with a 2024 Women in Leadership Trailblazer Award. Additionally, Rev. Dr. Rodríguez is a teaching elder at the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Trenton, New Jersey.

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