Chancellor's Cabinet - Pamela Ralston, Ph. D.

​ Pamela RalstonPamela Ralston, Ph.D.
President, Santiago Canyon College

Pamela Ralston, Ph.D. was appointed President of Santiago Canyon College (SCC) in August 2021. Reporting to the Rancho Santiago Community College District Chancellor, her responsibilities include planning, organizing and implementing educational policy and procedures to develop curriculum and student support services; budget management; enhancing partnerships with business, governmental and community organizations, as well as with the K-12 and higher education institutions in the area; and leading the institution’s fund development efforts.

Prior to joining Santiago Canyon College, Dr. Ralston was the Executive Vice President for Educational Programs at Santa Barbara Community College District, overseeing academic affairs, student services, and institutional research.  Dr. Ralston has also served as:

  • ​Vice President for Student Learning, College of the Desert;
  • Dean of Academic Affairs: Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, Cuesta College; and
  • Tenured Faculty Member and Department Chair, Tacoma Community College.
In a career spanning over 20 years in community college education, Dr. Ralston has worked with faculty, staff and administrators to improve student access, equity, and success.  Focused on the college's embrace of innovation, institutional research, professional development, and organizational effectiveness, Dr. Ralston strongly supports participatory governance and the inclusion of all stakeholders, particularly students, in efforts to create instructional and service excellence, and cross-constituent leadership, as we grapple with challenging and important issues.  Her experience and dedication to the community college system demonstrates the commitment she has to students and to the core purpose and mission of providing higher education to our community.

Dr. Ralston earned a master of arts and doctor of philosophy in Comparative Literature from the University of Washington and a bachelor of arts degree in English literature from the University of Oregon. 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. Her research areas include Comparative American Ethnic Studies and community college pedagogy.

August 2021