Yves Salomon-Fernandez

Dr. Yves Salomon-Fernández is President of Urban College of Boston, a multilingual, primarily online college offering instruction in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Portuguese. She has led colleges in urban, suburban, and rural communities in Massachusetts and New Jersey, and previously served as Senior Vice President of Operations Planning at Southern New Hampshire University. Her international work includes consulting with the Bermuda Ministry of Education and the United Nations in Mexico.

Yves’ leadership is inspired by her students and colleagues, and informed by her in-person and online teaching and scholarship. She serves as a reviewer for Johns Hopkins University Press and a member of the Editorial Board for Wiley Publishing’s New Directions for Community Colleges. Her service extends beyond the academy. Yves is a former member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston’s Community Development Advisory Council and the American Association of Colleges and Universities. She currently sits on the Board of College Unbound, ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, and co-chairs the Board of Double Edge Theater.

Dr. Salomon-Fernández brings personal passion to her professional mission of ensuring that postsecondary education opens doors for all, especially those for whom higher education and economic opportunity have been elusive. She believes in education for the common good. Yves speaks and publishes on innovation in higher education, women’s career mobility, access and equity, and the future of work.

Yves’ academic background spans political science, economics, and statistics. She earned her Ph.D. from Boston College, an MSc from the London School of Economics, a B.A. from the University of Massachusetts Boston, and a certificate from the University of Oxford. In addition to English, Yves is fluent in Spanish, Haitian Creole, and French, and has a passion for the humanities and creative sector. Yves and her husband are the proud parents of two young adults.