Dr. Yves S. Fernandez

INVITED Speaker

Yves Salomon-Fernández, Ph.D., is the President of Urban College of Boston, a proudly Hispanic-Serving Institution dedicated to expanding opportunity for first-generation, immigrant, multilingual, and working-adult learners. Yves leads with an unwavering commitment to “servingness” as defined by Dr. Gina García: ensuring that mission, culture, pedagogy, and institutional systems affirm and uplift Latine learners and families. Her career reflects a persistent focus on access, equity, and the creation of pathways that fuel intergenerational mobility for historically excluded communities.

Dr. Salomon-Fernández is widely regarded for her integrative leadership approach, blending data-driven decision making with a deep focus on belonging, psychological safety, and organizational culture. Her scholarship and public writing center culture, belonging, psychological safety, love, and humanity as the foundations for organizational resilience and innovation. She speaks and publishes regularly on innovation in higher education, women’s career mobility, the future of work, and institutional resilience across urban, suburban, and rural settings.

Dr. Salomon-Fernández is a respected scholar-practitioner and adjunct professor. She serves as a peer reviewer for Johns Hopkins University Press and is a member of the Editorial Board for Wiley Publishing’s New Directions for Community Colleges.

Yves also serves on several boards and advisory bodies, contributing her expertise in education, workforce, and community development. Through this work, she builds bridges between academia, business, and philanthropy to drive inclusive growth. She serves on the Board of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, the American Association of Colleges and Universities, College Unbound, and co-chairs the Board of Double Edge Theater, among others.

As an immigrant, Dr. Salomon-Fernández brings personal passion to her professional mission: ensuring that education opens doors for all, especially those for whom higher education and economic opportunity have been elusive. Originally from Haiti, Salomon-Fernández’s personal story informs her passion for immigrant success and her belief in the power of education to transform lives, families, and communities.

Yves earned her Ph.D. from Boston College, an MSc from the London School of Economics, and a B.A. from the University of Massachusetts Boston. In addition to English, Yves is fluent in Spanish, Haitian Creole, and French.