Dr. Percy Anthony Pierre is an accomplished pioneer in electrical engineering and trailblazer known for his academic and professional accomplishments throughout the nation including a university presidency. Born in Welcome, Louisiana, on January 3, 1939 to Rosa Villavaso Pierre and Percy John Pierre who were … Read MoreDr. Percy A. Pierre
Artemisia Bowden, an educator and civic leader, one of few black women college presidents during the first half of the 20th century, was born on January 1, 1879 in Albany, Georgia, to former slaves Milas Bowden and Mary (Molette) Bowden. The oldest of four children, she was raised originally in Brunswick, … Read MoreArtemisia Bowden (1879-1969)
Mary Elizabeth Branch, one of the most prominent black women educators of the first half of the twentieth century, was born on May 29, 1881 in Farmwell, Virginia, to Tazewell and Harriett Branch, both former slaves. Tazewell was a politician and was elected twice to the Virginia House … Read MoreMary Elizabeth Branch (1881-1944)
Dr. Isiaah Crawford is the 14th, and current, president of University of Puget Sound, a prestigious liberal arts college in Tacoma, Washington. He was selected on February 26, 2016, and assumed the presidency on July 1 of that year, succeeding President Ronald R. Thomas, who retired after 13 … Read MoreIsiaah Crawford (1960- )
“Image Ownership: Kaori Tachibana/The Collegian” Dr. Ronald Andrew Crutcher is a distinguished classical musician and a national leader in higher education. He served as the as the seventh president of Wheaton College from 2004 to 2014, and then became the first African American president of … Read MoreRonald Andrew Crutcher (1947– )
“Image Ownership: York Minster” In 2005, John Tucker Mugabi Sentamu was installed as the Anglican Church’s Archbishop of York. Sentamu was born on June 10, 1949, the sixth of 13 children of Rev. John and Ruth Walakira in a village outside Kampala, Uganda. Taught by … Read MoreJohn Sentamu (1949- )
Civic and educational leader Gloria Dean Randle Scott, the first African-American president of the Girl Scouts of America and the twelfth president of Bennett College, was born on April 14, 1938 in Houston, Texas to Juanita Bell and Freeman Randle. Scott grew up in Houston, … Read MoreGloria Dean Randle Scott (1938- )
Richard Robert Wright Sr., college founder and banker, was born into slavery on May 16, 1855, near Dalton, Georgia. After the Civil War ended Wright’s mother moved with her son to Atlanta, Georgia where he attended the Storrs School, an institution founded by the American … Read MoreRichard R. Wright, Sr. (1855-1947)
Ruth Simmons is the first African American to be named President of an Ivy League university. She is also the first African American woman to lead any major university in the United States. Simmons was sworn in as the 18th President of Brown University in … Read MoreRuth Simmons (1945- )
William Arthur Lewis was a public intellectual in the field of development economics, who in 1971 became the first African American to receive a Nobel Prize in category other than peace. Lewis was honored for his work in economics. Lewis was the author of 12 … Read MoreSir William Arthur Lewis (1915-1991)
