Dolores Duran-Cerda

Headshot of Dolores Duran-Cerda

A seasoned educator, Dr. Dolores Duran-Cerda has 30 years of comprehensive and increasingly responsible college-level instructional, administrative and leadership experience. Currently, Dr. Duran-Cerda is Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at Pima Community College (PCC) in Tucson, Arizona, where she focuses on student success, community engagement and diversity, equity and inclusion. The majority of PCC's students are first-generation and are underrepresented.  At this Hispanic-Serving Institution, she supervises all academic programs, including the supervision of academic deans and their departments, PimaOnline, accreditation, curriculum, assessment, program review, diversity, equity and inclusion, dual enrollment, adult education, faculty qualifications, faculty development and hiring, and the Teaching and Learning Center.  She is also the administrative liaison to the College's Faculty Senate.

Dr. Duran-Cerda earned her Ph.D. in Latin American literature with an emphasis in poetry, and her M.A. in Hispanic literature, both from The University of Arizona. She holds a B.A. with honors in Spanish, French and secondary education from the University of Iowa. In 1989, she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, Mortar Board, Omicron Delta Kappa and Phi Lambda Theta honor societies. 

Her teaching career started as professor of Spanish Language and Culture at Arizona International College of The University of Arizona which was known for its interdisciplinary and globally focused curriculum. When Arizona International College was closed due to budget cuts, Dr. Duran-Cerda was hired as full-time faculty at PCC and taught for a decade in the World Languages Department. During that time, she also served as the Campus Honors Coordinator, Honors advisor, taught Honors courses in Spanish and taught the Honors Colloquium. In 2012, she moved into administration and served as Senior Assistant to the Provost, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Faculty Affairs, Acting Provost and now, Provost.  

Dr. Duran-Cerda has received regional and national awards in teaching excellence and awards as an outstanding administrator. Also, she received a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute on Literature of the Border, has published and translated articles, and has presented at national and international conferences on pedagogy, literature, college-wide initiatives and on diversity, equity and inclusion.

She has served on several national and state boards and advisory panels, including The University of Arizona's W.A. Franke Honors Advisory Board, the National Phi Beta Kappa Senate, Phi Beta Kappa-Association of Greater Tucson, the Arizona Minority Education Policy Analysis Center (AMEPAC), the Carondelet Hospitals Governing Board, Arizona Women in Higher Education Board of Directors, Women United-United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona, and the Cradle to Career Leadership Council-United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona. 

Dr. Duran-Cerda and her husband, a journalist, editor and U.S. Army Reserve veteran, enjoy traveling, discussing politics, practicing his Spanish, and attending sporting events.