Pacific Oaks College & Children’s School Inaugurates Ezat Parnia, Ph.D., as President
September 7, 2012, Pasadena, CA – On Saturday, September 8, Pacific Oaks College & Children’s School located in Pasadena, California, will formally inaugurate Ezat Parnia, Ph.D., as its ninth president. Pacific Oaks College is an accredited institution of higher learning offering Bachelors and Masters degrees in early childhood education, human development, marriage and family therapy and teacher credentialing. The Pacific Oaks Children’s School serves children aged 6 months to 5 years using a progressive, experiential educational model. Pacific Oaks is widely recognized for its pioneering work in early childhood development and culture-centered education.
Dr. Parnia was named President of the institution in January 2012 following an extensive nationwide search. Prior to joining Pacific Oaks, Dr. Parnia was the founding partner and Chief Executive Officer of the Education Advisory Group, based in Newton, Massachusetts. He served as the Nichols College Provost and Executive Vice President, where he spearheaded the day-to-day operations of the College. Before joining Nichols College in 2007, he was Executive Vice President and Dean of the School of Management at Cambridge College in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He held numerous positions from 1989-2007. Prior to joining Cambridge College, he held faculty and administrative positions at the University of Hartford from 1984 to 1989.
Dr. Parnia holds a Ph.D. in Governments with a minor in international business and an M.A. from Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California. He earned an M.P.A. from the Barney School of Business and Public Administration at the University of Hartford in Bloomfield, Connecticut, and a B.S. in political science from the Institute of Political Science in Tehran, Iran.
As a native of Iran who came to the United States as an immigrant, Dr. Parnia has experienced first-hand the transformational power of higher education. His vision for Pacific Oaks will build on its culture-centered educational philosophy to increase access to higher education to students throughout California and elsewhere through our online programs. His inauguration on September 8 marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter at Pacific Oaks College & Children’s School.
