Jane K Fernandes

An experienced administrator, Jane K. Fernandes, PhD, has served as president of Guilford College since 2014. Following the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, she convened a Public Health and Safety Task Force which successfully oversaw the transition to remote learning, ensuring access to requisite technology for all students and staff members. During the summer 2020, Jane K. Fernandes coordinated the creation of a reopening plan that prioritized safe learning environments and developed stringent safety standards to facilitate the return to in-person learning.

Previously, Dr. Fernandes spent six years as provost and vice chancellor of academic affairs at the University of North Carolina Asheville, a liberal arts college with more than 3,500 undergraduate and 25 graduate students. Dr. Fernandes also served on the Board of Directors of the Martin Luther King Jr. Association of Asheville and Buncombe County, in which capacity she raised funds to support youth scholarships.

Outside of work, Jane K. Fernandes enjoys walking on the beach and gardening. An avid reader, she counts The Wife of Martin Guerre, by Janet Lewis, and The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway, among her favorite titles.