Dr. María M. Vallejo assumed the top position at Palm Beach State College’s Lake Worth Campus September 7, 1999, where she was the Chief Executive Officer for this, their largest and longest established campus.  The 114-acre complex at Lake Worth includes classroom and laboratory buildings, a gymnasium and athletic complex, a theatre, and library learning resource center.  The campus offers Associate degree programs, professional certificates, apprenticeship programs and courses for lifelong learning and career enhancement.  It has served the central Palm Beach County area for over 75 Dr. Vallejo, with over 30 years of experience in higher education, has served as Vice President of Academic and Student Services at Nassau Community College and Vice President of Student Affairs at Rockland Community College in New York, as well as Dean of Academic Support Services at Bergen Community College in New Jersey.  She also brings experiences from private and public four-year colleges and universities.  Dr. Vallejo received her Ph.D. in Bilingual Curriculum Development/Higher Education from New York University.  She earned two master’s degrees from Columbia University and her bachelor’s degree from Hampshire College. Locally and nationally, Dr. Vallejo is a strong advocate and supporter of the ASPIRA Association, inc., the only national non-profit organization devoted solely to the education and leadership development of Puerto Rican and other Latino youth.  She has also been instrumental in providing support to many organizations such as The Quantum Foundation, where she sits on the Board of Directors, the South Palm Beach Branch of the NAACP, which honored her with the Louise E. Buie Founders Award and the Women’s Chamber of Commerce, which honored her with their Giraffe Award in 2007. Nationally, Dr. Vallejo was honored as one of the “20 Mujeres of Distinction” in the 2004 Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education, and she recently completed her tenure as president of the National Community College Hispanic Council (NCCHC), in which she actively promoted and supported the Council’s annual Leadership Symposium, bringing together promising Latino leaders for national mentoring, training and networking. A list of service, awards and honors that have been given to Dr. Vallejo would fill more than two pages. She is a politely assertive educator, leader and activist who has devoted endless time to helping others on an individual and group basis. She retired as the Vice President for Growth and Expansion Provost, Belle Glade and Loxahatchee Groves Campuses for Palm Beach State College in 2019.