About the President
In December 2022, Dr. Pamela Ralston was appointed Interim President of Los Medanos
College. Dr. Ralston most recently 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.
