Frederick Community College (FCC) is pleased to announce that Dr. Carmen R. Hernandez joined the FCC Board of Trustees, with her term beginning on July 1, 2025.

Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Dr. Hernandez is fully bilingual and deeply committed to supporting Frederick’s growing Hispanic immigrant population through education and inclusion. She has lived in Frederick for nearly 40 years and has served as an ESL tutor with the Literacy Council of Frederick County for the past five years, continuing to advocate for language access as a key to student success.
 
“FCC, through ESL and all its other classes, is empowering students to dream,” she said. “A lack of communication leads to social isolation, which can lead to mental health challenges. Education opens doors and breaks that cycle.”
 
Dr. Hernandez was a founding member of Frederick Gastroenterology Associates, where she served patients for 33 years before retiring in 2020. She has remained deeply engaged in the Frederick community through board service with the Literacy Council of Frederick County, the Kline Hospice House, and the Community Foundation of Frederick County. She has also volunteered for many years with the Kline Hospice House Comfort Singers and her church choir.
 
“Learning something new is always exciting,” she added. “I hope to learn how an established academic institution like FCC prepares its students to become happy and productive members of our society. In return, I hope to bring my lived experience of cultural assimilation to help meet the needs of today’s students and prepare them for the rest of their lives.”
 
Dr. Hernandez’s service reflects a lifelong commitment to improving lives through education, care, and community leadership. Her unique perspective will help advance FCC’s mission of providing equitable access to opportunity for all students.