Dr. Helene D. Gayle, Spelman College's incoming president
Scholars and Spelman leaders praised the move.
“I think this is a ‘wow’ hire,” said Dr. Marybeth Gasman, the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Endowed Chair in Education at Rutgers University and an expert on historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). “Spelman just knows how to do it. They know how to pick amazing leaders.”
On July 1, Gayle will start her presidency, succeeding Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell, who will retire this year after leading Spelman since 2015.
“This is a moment where HBCUs are once again being recognized for the importance that they bring to every sector of this country,” said Gayle in a statement. “The idea of giving back to generations of students through cutting-edge academic programs and facilities, increasing college affordability, raising financial aid support and increasing the endowment, and developing new career pathways and opportunities is what invigorates and excites me about this new role.”
Gayle is currently president and CEO of The Chicago Community Trust, a foundation serving the Chicago region. The Trust’s assets grew under her leadership from about $2.8 billion to $4.7 billion with a focus on closing the racial and ethnic wealth gap.
Before The Chicago Community Trust, Gayle spent almost a decade as president and CEO of CARE, an international humanitarian organization tackling poverty, especially among women and girls. She also worked for 20 years at the Centers for Disease Control with a focus on HIV/AIDS, and she advanced global public health at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
