Dr. Dr. Corey Wiggins
Tougaloo College's Board of Trustees on Friday named Dr. Corey Wiggins, a Mississippi native and the federal co-chair of the Delta Regional Authority, as the institution's 15th president.
He will assume the post July 1, succeeding Dr. Donzell Lee.
Dr. Blondean Y. Davis, chair of Tougaloo College's Board of Trustees, praised the appointment, saying Wiggins "is a visionary leader whose commitment to academic excellence, student success and institutional integrity aligns deeply with the historic mission of Tougaloo College."
The board, Davis added, "is confident that Dr. Wiggins possesses the leadership, experience and passion necessary to guide Tougaloo into its next chapter of growth and impact."
Wiggins currently leads the Delta Regional Authority, an independent federal agency that supports economic development across 255 counties and parishes in eight states throughout the Mississippi Delta and Alabama Black Belt. He is a presidential appointee who was confirmed unanimously by the U.S. Senate. Before his federal role, he served as executive director of the Mississippi State Conference NAACP.
Wiggins holds a bachelor's degree in biology from Alcorn State University and earned both a master's degree in public health and a Ph.D. in health promotion from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He has held faculty appointments at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson State University and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he taught courses in health policy, strategic management and the social determinants of health. He also holds a certificate in nonprofit leadership from Boston College and has completed fellowships with the Kaiser Family Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
In a statement, Wiggins called the appointment an honor.
"I look forward to working collaboratively with the Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, students, alumni and the broader Tougaloo community to advance the College's mission and strengthen its future," he said.
Reaction among alumni to the appointment was positive.
"I think this appointment is historic for the institution, given that we are 156 years old and we have a story of service and leadership," said Dr. Ro'chelle D. Williams, a 2014 graduate of Tougaloo and an active member of the alumni association. "I think Corey will help to propel the story forward and strengthen the institution."
Williams said that because Wiggins is from Mississippi, he understands the landscape and can help to broaden Tougaloo's presence both regionally and nationally.
Founded in 1869, Tougaloo College is a private historically Black liberal arts institution located on the northern edge of Jackson, Mississippi, with a legacy of academic excellence, social justice and civic engagement. During the civil rights movement, the college served as a point of organization for activists.
Over the past five years, the college's endowment has grown from $6.7 million in 2018 to $23 million in 2025, driven by donor engagement and record-breaking gifts. In October 2024, Tougaloo secured an $8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to establish a Biomedical Research and Training Center, catalyzing a capital campaign to raise an additional $5 million in matching funds, a project that will be among Wiggins' early institutional priorities.
Wiggins was one of three finalists who participated in forums with students, faculty and alumni earlier this year before the board made its final selection.
