Kai Kight, Classical Violinist and Innovative Composer
Dr. Gail O. Mellow has served as President of LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, Queens since 2000. A member of the City University of New York (CUNY) system, LaGuardia is a nationally recognized leader among community colleges for achieving boundary-breaking success educating underserved students.
Dr. Mellow is co-author of the book Taking College Teaching Seriously: Pedagogy Matters! (2015), which explores a groundbreaking digital model for improving college teaching to increase student success. An expert on the history and future of the American community college, Dr. Mellow also co-authored Minding the Dream: The Process and Practice of the American Community College (2014). She is a member of several national commissions, including the Commission on Postsecondary Education of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Commission on Financing 21st Century Education.
In 2014, Dr. Mellow was featured in a series of articles in The New York Times about the challenges and triumphs of LaGuardia and community colleges nationwide. She is frequently sought as a commentator on the changing landscape of higher education and has been quoted in a range of publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Bloomberg Businessweek, and has appeared on national radio and television broadcasts on NPR, MSNBC, and PBS.