Shinta Hernandez

Shinta Hernandez is the founding Dean of the Virtual Campus at Montgomery College in Montgomery County, MD. Previously, she served as its Department Chair of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice. From the time she started at the College in January 2007, she has helped to advance work in the social science disciplines, open educational resources and open pedagogy, social justice and equity, inclusive curriculum, faculty professional development, international collaborations, and online education. Prior to academia, she worked as a public policy analyst at think tank organizations in the Washington, DC area, namely the Urban Institute and Westat. Dr. Hernandez received her undergraduate degree in psychology from Brandeis University, MPP degree in social policy from Georgetown University, and PhD degree in sociology at the University of Maryland College Park. Dr. Hernandez was previously awarded the Montgomery College Outstanding Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching and Advising for AY 2016-2017 and the NISOD Excellence Award in 2018.