Dr. Susan Gaulden is Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at Passaic County Community College (PCCC), an open-admission Hispanic Serving Institution that serves over 8,000 students each year. She loved every minute of over twenty years she spent teaching mathematics, and has served as Interim Provost, Vice Provost for Academic Programs, and Executive Director of Institutional Planning and Assessment at other institutions. In her current role, Dr. Gaulden is most proud of the work she is doing to initiate and launch new partnerships to enhance the support and services PCCC is able to provide its students.
Recent initiatives led by Dr. Gaulden include the Hispanics Inspiring Students’ Performance and Achievement (HISPA) Leaders in College at PCCC program, and the new Laptop Upcycle site location on the College’s main campus in Paterson, New Jersey. She also fully enjoys her role as the Project Director of a US Department of Education (USDOE) Title V Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions grant-funded program, PROSPER, which aims to increase student persistence and employment readiness by offering 3+1 programs with 4-year institutions, micro-internships, experiential learning experiences, and more.
Dr. Gaulden has also led as Project Director on two other USDOE grant-funded programs at PCCC. Her Reconnect program sought to re-engage stopped-out students and to prevent at-risk part-time students from stopping out by providing success coaching, holistic and academic support, and career readiness programming. Pathways to Teacher Certification provided aspiring educators with support and coaching to complete their academic programs and experiential learning opportunities at local child development centers and K-6 schools.
Dr. Gaulden has received numerous awards and recognitions for her professional accomplishments, including being on the 2025 NJ Innovate 100 list and the Higher Education’s 2024 List of 40 Leading Women in Higher Education. She has also served as an invited speaker at The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS), the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP), and Third Way events. In addition to paneling, Dr. Gaulden is an active voice on the Paterson One Square Mile Initiative Advisory Board, the Paterson Anchor Collaborative, and the Visions Federal Credit Union NJ Advisory Council.
