Spelman College, one of the nation’s only two historically Black colleges for women, on Monday chose as its president an epidemiologist who spent decades fighting AIDS and HIV before becoming the leader of an international anti-poverty group.
Trustees of the private Atlanta college voted unanimously Monday to make Dr. Helene Gayle its 11th president, effective July 1. Current president Mary Schmidt Campbell announced her planned retirement last year.
Gayle will take over as the aftermath of the Black Lives Matter movement has propelled a spike in private giving to Spelman and other historically Black colleges and universities, especially those in the top tier.
Gayle, 66, is currently president of the Chicago Community Trust, a community foundation.
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