Dr. Carol Linder became Luna Community College’s Interim President in June 2024. As a scientist, Dr. Linder understands success requires collaboration with those having skills and talents that complement her own. As an educator, she modeled to her students the necessity of teamwork, of critical thinking, consulting experts, and cooperating to solve problems.

Raised in Española, Dr. Linder received her B.S. from UNM. Graduate school at UT Austin, postdoctoral training at Washington State University and Oregon State University, and employment at a mouse genetics research facility in Maine further shaped her outlook. She returned to northern New Mexico in 1997. Dr. Linder joined the NMHU biology faculty in 2004; following a successful career of teaching and research, she served as Highlands’s interim associate provost and provost from 2016 – 2018.

An ordained Elder in the Presbyterian Church, she also chairs the San Miguel Family & Community Health Council, and is an active member of both Rotary Club and the American Association of University Women.

An enthusiastic life-long learner, Dr. Linder seeks out challenges. She completed an MBA in Finance at NMHU in 2021 and joined LCC as an academic director. She became VPFA in 2023. Her greatest passion remains the creation of opportunities for others. Although she loves working directly with students, her endeavors as an administrator stem from her desire to promote student success by removing barriers and increasing Luna’s ability to change the career trajectory of all we serve.