The Board of Trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities today named Deidra Peaslee as the new permanent president. She has been the interim president since May 2019.
Peaslee was one of four women announced as finalists in February. Among the four were two Black women.
In terms of enrollment, Saint Paul College is the fifth largest community college in Minnesota with 65 percent of the student population being of color.
“Dr. Peaslee’s commitment and leadership of the college while serving as interim president has been exemplary,” said Devinder Malhotra, chancellor of Minnesota State in a news release. “She consistently demonstrates strong leadership, empathy, decisiveness, and tenacity. No matter where she has been, she has wholly embraced and immersed herself in transforming the institution, facing challenges head on with grace and grit. As interim president, she has navigated the college community through the dual crises of the COVID-19 pandemic and that of systemic racism. Dr. Peaslee is the right leader at this juncture of the college’s trajectory.”
Trustees for the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities have authorized Chancellor Malhotra to negotiate a three-year contract with Dr. Peaslee which will become effective July 1, 2021.
About Tom Gitaa Gitaa, Editor-in-Chief
Born and raised in Kenya's coastal city of Mombasa, Tom is the Founder, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of Mshale which has been reporting on the news and culture of African immigrants in the United States since 1995. He has a BA in Business from Metro State University and a Public Leadership Credential from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. He was the original host of Talking Drum, the signature current affairs show on the African Broadcasting Network (ABN-America), which was available nationwide in the United States via the Dish Network satellite service. On the show, he interviewed Nobel laureates such as 2004 Nobel Peace prize winner, Professor Wangari Maathai, the first woman from Africa to win the peace prize and heads of states. Tom has served and chaired various boards including Global Minnesota (formerly Minnesota International Center), the sixth largest World Affairs Council in the United States. He has previously served as the first Black President of the Board of Directors at Books for Africa. He also serves on the boards of New Vision Foundation and the Minnesota Multicultural Media Consortium. He has previously served two terms on the board of the United Nations Association. An avid runner, he retired from running full marathons after turning 50 and now only focuses on training for half marathons.
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