Dr. Jana Schwartz

Interim President for Paradise Valley Community College

Dr. Schwartz is the newly appointed Interim President of Paradise Valley Community College. In this role, she will provide enthusiastic leadership, support and the dedication necessary to foster the environment that allows the tremendous community of faculty, staff and students the opportunity to continue to innovate, learn and grow together. She is a passionate educator committed to the community college mission and the success of all students. 

With more than 20 years of higher education experience, Dr. Schwartz joined Paradise Valley Community College in February 2019 as the Vice President for Student Affairs. In this role, she  provided leadership to the Student Affairs Division and was committed to creating equitable and affirming spaces for all students to achieve academic and personal success. 

Dr. Schwartz previously served as the Dean of Pathways and Student Success and the Dean of Student Affairs at Front Range Community College in Colorado. She also served as the Director of the Center for Human Enrichment at the University of Northern Colorado – a program focused on the success of first-generation college students. She began her career working in residential living-learning environments at the University of Missouri-Columbia and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She believes education should connect with the whole person, inspire creativity, enhance self-awareness and lead to the desire and capacity to be a life-long learner. 

Dr. Schwartz’s education credentials include a Doctorate of Philosophy in Higher Education and Student Affairs Leadership from the University of Northern Colorado; a Master of Arts degree in Student Development in Postsecondary Education from the University of Iowa; and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Central College in Iowa. She continues to give back to the higher education community by teaching graduate level courses at Arizona State University, the University of Colorado-Denver and the University of Denver. 

Dr. Schwartz and her family enjoy living in Arizona where they spend a lot of time on the soccer pitch, enjoying time outdoors and connecting with the community.