Contact Us
Dr. Sarah Campbell
Interim Associates SVP of Equitable Access and Student Success
Email | 240-567-4166
Erik Swanson
Institute for Part-Time Faculty Engagement & Support new windowDirector
Email | 240-567-4388
Meet the MC Online and Academic Support Team
Shinta Hernandez, Ph.D. is the Dean of MC Online and Academic Support at Montgomery College (MC), providing leadership in online education, open education, learning centers, academic success coaching, and assessment centers. From the time she started at MC in January 2007, she has helped to advance work in open education and open pedagogy, social justice and equity, inclusive curriculum, faculty professional development, international collaborations, online education, and the social science disciplines.
Previously, Dr. Hernandez served as the department chair of sociology, anthropology, and criminal justice and professor of sociology at MC. She also served on the leadership team of the Achieving the Dream (ATD) Student Success Network. She is the co-founder and co-developer of two MC faculty fellowships centered on online education and open education, including the global award-winning United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Open Pedagogy Fellowship, which has grown to 13 institutional partners across North America, Central America, the Caribbean, and Asia. She also has experience in external leadership roles with the Community College Consortium for Open Educational Resources (CCCOER), Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC), MarylandOnline Leadership Institute (MOLLI), and the Maryland Chief Officers of Online Learning (COOL).
Dr. Hernandez received her B.A. in Psychology from Brandeis University, M.P.P. in Social Policy from Georgetown University, and Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Maryland College Park. She was recently awarded the Diversity in Business Award by the Washington Business Journal (2024) and by Women We Admire as Top 50 Women Leaders in Maryland (2022). She was also awarded the Outstanding Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching and Advising from MC in 2017 and the Excellence Award from the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) in 2018.
Office Location: Rockville Campus, MK330
Bio
Elysse Meredith holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Medieval Studies (English Literature, French Literature, and Art History) from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland as well as a B.A. in English Literature from Drew University in New Jersey. As the Learning Commons Director, she oversees MC’s diverse learning centers and Achieving the Promise Academy. Since starting at Montgomery College in 2015, she has championed academic support as an experiential learning opportunity that improves access to all students. Additionally, Dr. Meredith has served as the President of the Maryland College Learning Center Association (MDCLCA) and the Treasurer of the Mid-Atlantic Writing Center Association (MAWCA). Her research interests include linguistic diversity, emotional labor, multimodal composition, and gamification.
Email: guillermo.laya@montgomerycollege.edu
Phone: 240-567-1596
Office Location: Germantown Campus
Bio
Guillermo Laya joined Montgomery College in August 2007 serving as the Intake Assessment Specialist for the Adult English and Literacy GED (AELG) program in Workforce Development and Continued Education (WD&CE). He also worked in the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) as a test development manager, guiding the development of test materials for bilingual language testing. In 2013, he taught part-time in the English Language for Academic Purposes (ELAP) program before becoming the Collegewide Assessment and Testing Centers Director where he focused on staff development, student services, collaboration with other units, and innovation to efficiently deliver testing services to all students.
Guillermo received a Master’s in TESOL from American University, and a Bachelor of Art from Montclair State University in Applied Linguistics. He brings extensive experience in public and higher education teaching, test development practices, and innovative leadership style to maximize employee engagement and student services.
Email: Tia.Roebuck@montgomerycollege.edu
Phone: 240-567-7291
Office Location: Rockville Campus, Mannakee (MK) 330D
Email: robin.cook@montgomerycollege.edu
Phone: 240-567-6003
Office Location: Rockville Campus, Mannakee (MK) 342E
Email: tracey.little@montgomerycollege.edu
Phone: 204-567-6002
Office Location: Rockville Campus, Mannakee (MK) 342K
Email: fariha.alam@montgomerycollege.edu
Phone: 240-567-5257
Office Location: Rockville Campus, Mannakee (MK) 325A
Email: nghi.nguyen@montgomerycollege.edu
Phone: 240-567-1953
Office Location: Rockville Campus, Mannakee (MK) 342G
Bio
Nghi Nguyen is a seasoned Digital Media Manager with over 17 years of experience at Montgomery College, where he creates and manages digital content for the Office of EASS and supports various departments, units, and programs across the College. He specializes in creating engaging web materials aligned with institutional standards, ensuring ADA compliance, and efficiently overseeing multiple projects simultaneously.Nghi brings extensive expertise in web design, multimedia project management, and strategic communication across diverse digital platforms. He holds a Master’s degree in Distance Education and a Bachelor’s degree in Communication-Journalism from the University of Maryland Global Campus.
His technical proficiencies include Adobe Creative Suite, HTML, and JavaScript, and he is fluent in both English and Vietnamese.
Nghi is also a member of the Montgomery College Rising Professionals Association, Staff Enrichment Day Planning Committee, and MC Asian-Pacific Islander Heritage Planning Committee.
Location: 900 Hungerford Drive, Rockville, MD 20850 | Phone: 240-567-6000 | Email: mconline@montgomerycollege.edu