Tyjaun A. Lee, Ph.D., is a transformational higher education leader with more than 25 years of progressive experience advancing student success, institutional excellence, workforce development, and community engagement. She serves as Vice Chancellor of Administrative Services at Metropolitan Community College (MCC) in Kansas City, Missouri, where she provides executive leadership for key administrative functions, including facilities, finance, workforce and economic development, and operational strategy. In this role, she helps position the institution to respond effectively to the evolving needs of students, employees, industry partners, and the broader Kansas City community.
Prior to becoming Vice Chancellor, Dr. Lee served as president of MCC-Penn Valley from 2017 through 2023. As campus president, she led all campus operations, academic and student services, and strategic initiatives, including oversight of the Health Science Institute and Advanced Technical Skills Institute. Her leadership emphasized access, equity, completion, and career-connected learning, while strengthening partnerships that support students in attaining meaningful credentials and employment opportunities. From 2018 to 2020, she also simultaneously served as president of MCC-Maple Woods, providing leadership across two campuses during a period of institutional transition.
Before joining MCC, Dr. Lee served as Vice President for Student Services at Prince George’s Community College in Maryland. There, she led a broad portfolio encompassing recruitment, enrollment, retention, student development, marketing, athletics, and auxiliary services. She previously served as Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Services at Tidewater Community College in Norfolk, Virginia, where she provided collegewide strategic direction for enrollment and student-support operations. These roles reflect her sustained commitment to building student-centered systems that improve access, persistence, and achievement.
Dr. Lee’s earlier career includes service as director of counseling at Cuyahoga Community College’s Metropolitan Campus in Cleveland, where she designed support programs for students facing academic challenges. She also served as national director for the Science, Engineering, Mathematics and Aerospace Academy (SEMAA), managing a performance-based NASA contract, helping establish 15 sites across the country, and leading workshops for students through NASA Glenn Research Center. Her professional background also includes directing the Student Support Services Program at David N. Myers University.
A Cleveland native and first-generation college student, Dr. Lee earned her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from Ohio University. Her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership emphasizes higher education administration. Her doctoral research examined the experiences of African American women deans serving on predominantly White college campuses, reflecting her longstanding interest in leadership, equity, and the advancement of historically underrepresented populations in higher education.
Throughout her career, Dr. Lee has been recognized as a passionate, student-centered leader and a champion for inclusive institutional transformation. Her work is grounded in the belief that community colleges are essential engines of social mobility, workforce advancement, and regional economic vitality. She is the proud dog mom of Mr. Romeo and Miss. Jewels.
