Her Story
About Parminder
Parminder Kaur is a finance and higher education administration professional with leadership experience at South Puget Sound Community College and the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. She currently serves as Associate VP for Finance at South Puget Sound Community College in Olympia, Washington, where she has worked for three years. With more than 20 years in the education industry, including five years starting her career in India before moving to the United States, her background focuses on financial management, budgeting, finance systems, functional analysis, and higher education administration. She began in IT finance and has transitioned to a broader business role emphasizing analysis, cost-expense analysis, and presenting data to support board decisions. Parminder holds a Master of Science in Information Technology Management from Western Governors University, obtained in 2019, along with a master's degree in education from India. She maintains certifications in Oracle, PeopleSoft, and CAPM. She is an active member of WorkUBO, where she completed a selective mentorship program in 2025, the Higher Education User Group, and its Youth Committee.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Parminder
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to traveling extensively after marriage which helped me pick up good things from different cultures, my mother's tremendous effort to ensure her three daughters received higher education despite societal biases against girls in our mediocre-income family, and my husband's constant support lifting me up during difficult times and encouraging me not to let challenges like skin color affect me.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I received is 'trust, but verify' from my mentor and boss. In the finance world, you must trust your team but verify the data yourself because when presenting to the board you need to anticipate questions and be fully prepared.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Being a woman leader is tough, and being a woman of color is even tougher because you have to prove yourself ten times more. Don't let negative remarks get to your head. Believe in yourself since you have already come this far completing your education. When one door closes, ten doors open. Take any negative feedback as positive development to uplift yourself and improve.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is the lack of professionals who have both technical and business knowledge. The software like PeopleSoft requires this rare combination. I am trying to bridge that gap by combining my technical expertise with finance and business knowledge. Opportunities lie in understanding upcoming technologies like AI to advance business models without changing core principles like debits and credits.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Integrity is most important. If things go wrong or mistakes happen, speak up immediately so we can figure it out together. Be forthcoming with weaknesses and always give 200% effort. The same applies personally - always be truthful and ready to learn.
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.