Skip to main content
Contact Us envelope

Shinta H. Hernandez, PhD

Associate Vice President for Access and Completion Strategy
Shinta H. Hernandez, PhD

Dr. Shinta H. Hernandez serves as the Associate Vice President for Access and Completion Strategy at Montgomery College, where she provides strategic vision, executive leadership, and operational oversight in online learning, open education, academic scheduling, instructional technologies, and institutional alignment of strategies that strengthen academic pathways and improve student outcomes. She also helps lead the implementation of the Strategic Plan and Academic Master Plan by advancing collegewide initiatives that strengthen student access, persistence, and credential attainment.

Under Dr. Hernandez’s leadership, the College’s portfolio of fully online programs has grown, and high-quality online teaching has improved, allowing for an enhanced student experience through innovative online learning practices. There has also been a growth in the number of Z-degrees offered and greater use of open educational resources, which increase affordability for students and enhance inclusivity in the learning environments. Dr. Hernandez is also responsible for leading the College’s comprehensive course scheduling transformation, working collaboratively to develop student-centered scheduling practices grounded in predictive analytics, strategic enrollment management, and alternative scheduling options.

Prior to her current appointment, Dr. Hernandez most recently served as the Dean of MC Online and Academic Support. She began her career at Montgomery College in January 2007 as a part-time sociology instructor and eventually as a full-time instructor, Common Course coordinator, and department chair. In addition, she served on the leadership team of the College’s Achieving the Dream Student Success Network and the General Studies Degree Program Committee.

Representing Montgomery College, Dr. Hernandez has held numerous external leadership roles with MarylandOnline, Community College Consortium for Open Educational Resources, Maryland Higher Education Commission, and the Maryland Chief Officers of Online Learning, where she contributed to advancing higher education policy, online learning, open education, and faculty professional development. Through these roles, she cultivated strategic partnerships and shared expertise and innovative practices that contribute to the College’s leadership in these areas.

Dr. Hernandez received her B.A. in Psychology from Brandeis University, M.P.P. in Social Policy from Georgetown University, and Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Maryland, College Park. She has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Open Education Leadership Award by Open Education Global (2025), Diversity in Business Award by the Washington Business Journal (2024), and Top 50 Women Leaders in Maryland (2022) by Women We Admire. She was also recognized with the Outstanding Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching and Advising (2017) by Montgomery College and the Excellence Award (2018) by the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development.

Meet the Team:

Skip sidebar
End of sidebar