Sanjay Rai

Dr. Sanjay Rai currently serves as the senior vice president for academic affairs, including all credit, non-credit and workforce development programs at Montgomery College. The college is Maryland’s largest community college, with three campuses and two workforce development sites serving over 50,000 students annually.

Dr. Rai’s academic journey began as a first generation high school and college student growing up in India, before arriving in Canada for his master’s and the United States for his doctorate in mathematics. He has been a faculty member at a four-year public, a liberal arts, a Hispanic serving institution, and a community college. His leadership progression includes chair, dean, vice president and provost, and senior vice president.

His leadership at Montgomery College has created an Academic Master Plan that led to removing barriers to student success, increasing degree completion and transferability, and partnering with business and industry resulting in several new programs that benefit students and the community. It also resulted in the development of the first hospital built on a community college campus, $25 million in Department of Labor grants to build IT and cybersecurity pathways for underserved communities, and partnerships with transfer institutions including those for online programs.

He continues to publish in his field, and serves on the Governor’s Life Sciences Advisory Board, the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation, and Maryland Tech Council. He has been recognized with faculty awards, Chief Academic Officer of the Year from the NCIA, Outstanding Leadership Award from Leadership Montgomery and the Difference Maker Award from the SANS Institute.