Normandale Community College made it official in April: Pakou Yang is the school's new president, capping a run as interim president that started in June 2025. Per the City of Bloomington, Yang brings more than 20 years of experience across the Minnesota State system to the job.
The appointment carries some real historical weight — the city says Yang is the first Hmong American to serve as president of any college or university in the United States. That's a notable milestone for a campus that sits in a region home to one of the largest Hmong communities in the country.
The city describes Yang as someone "known for bringing people together, boosting student success and encouraging innovation in and beyond the classroom," and frames the hire as part of a broader push toward "inclusive excellence across higher education."
Normandale has been Yang's testing ground for over a year now as interim president, so this move mostly makes permanent a leadership dynamic students and staff already know. What it changes is the title — and the history books.