Meet DeRionne Pollard | President, Nevada State University

We had the good fortune of connecting with DeRionne Pollard and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi DeRionne, we’d love to hear more about your end-goal, professionally.
My mother died when I was four-years-old, so I will say that I give this question more thought than I care to admit. That said, my obituary will likely speak to my professional accolades thoughtfully: president of three institutions of higher education, leader and influencer in the higher education space, and community activist in key areas to drive individual agency and community wholeness. But, I hope that’s the least relevant part of what is catalogued about my life in the end. I hope my obituary says that she was a loving and dedicated spouse and parent. I hope it says that she was a hell of a girlfriend. That I like good bourbon, had a great laugh, loved a good game of Spades, and wanted to travel the world. And I hope it ends by saying that she made communities better and families stronger by serving through leadership higher education institutions that believed no member of our community is expendable and that we are all made better by living in a community where all are well-educated through accessible and excellent colleges and universities.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I operate from this audacious belief that higher education matters, that it can be deliberate in design and unapologetic in a commitment to access. How I lead, then, is a reflection of this ethos–and I think it is what sets me apart. I trust students and believe they are why we do the work. I know that leadership matters–and how one choses to build capacity and confidence in others matters. Co-creation, clarity, communication, and collaboration are a sacred trust I bring to my work. I hold joy, gratitude, kindness, integrity, dignity, inquiry, and grace as essential personal values. Most importantly, I work to be the same person publicly, privately, and personally.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love the Downtown of Las Vegas–it’s edgy, funky, and evolving. There’s something for everyone! Essential for me is The Pepper Club. As a wanna-be foodie, we’d take a tour of the valley by hitting Azzurra Cucina Italian, Echo & Rig Steakhouse, Balla Italian Soul, and martinis at Hank’s Steakhouse!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I wish the whole piece was a shoutout because I know I am the living manifestation of so many other people’s prayers, hard work, and dreams. However, I understand that’s not the task at hand! For this piece, I will name Evie Myers, an attorney who worked at Iowa State University while I attended there. At one point I was not performing well, working three jobs (one of which was babysitting her son), taking 12 credits, and trying to maintain some type of social life, and I had decided to withdraw from college. Upon sharing my decision with her, she reminded me of my potential and paid for me to quit one of my job, compensating me to use that time studying at her home where she could feed me and help me navigate the academics. She changed my life, and I will always be grateful for her and the way she distracted by trajectory by believing in me enough to care and invest in my success journey.

Website: https://nevadastate.edu/

Instagram: @NevadaStateU

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-derionne-pollard-55603010/