Dr. Carol Rothstein is the president of Jackson State Community College, which serves a ten-county region in West Tennessee. Since stepping into the presidency at Jackson State, she has led with a bold, student-centered vision, which has driven enrollment growth, expanded academic and workforce partnerships, and strengthened student support services.

Prior to joining Jackson State, she served as the vice president of academic affairs and workforce development at Nashville State Community College in Tennessee and more than a decade at Hagerstown Community College in Maryland and Blue Ridge Community and Technical College in West Virginia. At Hagerstown, she advanced from director of instructional support services to dean of instruction and acting vice president of academic affairs. She began her higher education career at Blue Ridge CTC as an admissions counselor and advanced to assistant professor and director of one of the college’s branch campuses.

Dr. Rothstein earned her Doctorate in Educational Leadership, with a concentration in Higher Education Administration from Frostburg State University in Maryland. She also holds a master’s degree in Management and Leadership, a bachelor’s degree in Education, and an associate degree in accounting.

She is an alumna of numerous state and national leadership programs such as Leadership Tennessee Class XI, Harvard’s Young American Leaders Program, SCORE’s Complete Tennessee Leadership Institute, and is an active member of the Jackson Rotary Club. She has been honored with the Paragon Award for New Presidents by the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, the Diamond Award for Excellence in Transformational Leadership by the Not Alone Foundation, and was named one of the most influential women by the City of Jackson, TN.

Throughout her career, Dr. Rothstein has championed the belief that education should be accessible to everyone, whether through traditional academic degrees, technical certifications, or workforce training. Her leadership philosophy centers on meeting students where they are, empowering them through education, and connecting them with meaningful opportunities for their future.