1. Dr. Melissa D. Denardo
Brief Bio
For the past 17 years, Dr. Melissa Denardo has served in leadership positions on the path to the
Presidency as Executive Director of Community College of Allegheny County/Carnegie Mellon
University’s SIA Program, Pittsburgh, PA; Vice President of Academic Affairs at Aiken Technical
College, Aiken, SC; Assistant Campus Dean at Kent State University, Salem, OH, and Provost of the
Community College of Beaver County, Pittsburgh PA.
She started her career in the classroom as a high school business teacher and has held faculty
appointments as Instructor at the ICM School of Business, Assistant Professor at Indiana University of
Pennsylvania, and Associate Professor at Colorado Mountain College, where she was awarded the
Faculty Member of the Year,Vail Campus.
A native of Kittanning, PA, Melissa earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in teaching from Indiana
University of Pennsylvania and a doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh. Her dissertation
investigated increasing critical thinking of college-aged students. She has received several awards and
honors including research and teaching fellowships from IUP and PITT,commendation from the
Colorado Community College System for leading the CIS Common Course Numbering System, and
selection to both the Executive Leadership Institute, of the League for Innovations in the Community
College and the Future President’s Institute of the American Association of Community Colleges.
She was the driving force to bring Achieving the Dream to South Carolina, and has worked closely with
college foundations and colleagues to author 29 grants and private donations bringing over $6.9 million to
her colleges. She inspires and works with faculty and staff to improve student success and has helped
develop new majors, tirelessly working with business, government, K-12 and universities to enable
meaningful and rewarding careers for students. Believing that the community college is an economic
driver of the region, she has helped recruit companies to relocate close to campus.
An avid outdoorswoman, Denardo and her husband, Rodney, enjoy snow and water skiing, boating,
white-water rafting, roller coasters,and exploring the United States. They have two sons and are the
grandparents of five grandchildren.