Oakwood University has appointed Dr. Gina Spivey-Brown as its 12th president, making history as the first woman to lead the 129-year-old Seventh-day Adventist HBCU based in Huntsville, Alabama.
Currently the dean of Howard University’s College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences, Dr. Spivey-Brown will officially step into the presidency on July 1, following the retirement of Dr. Leslie N. Pollard, who has served in the role for 15 years.
“I am deeply humbled that God chose me to be the 12th president of Oakwood University for such a time as this,” she shared. “I look forward to collaborating with faculty, staff, students, alumni, and stakeholders to build on Oakwood’s rich history and advance its mission and vision.”
Her appointment follows what Oakwood’s Board of Trustees described as a “comprehensive and prayerful search process.” Dr. G. Alexander Bryant, who chairs the board, described Spivey-Brown as “a dynamic, spirit-filled, higher education administrative leader with an impressive record of enrollment growth and academic excellence.”
Spivey-Brown brings more than 20 years of higher education leadership experience to the role. In addition to her Ph.D., she holds several professional credentials including registered nurse (RN) and fellowships with the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN), National Academies of Practice (FNAP), and the Academy of Distinguished Nurse Leaders (FADLN).
Prior to her decade at Howard, she held leadership roles at both Loma Linda University and Washington Adventist University, where she led the expansion of academic programs, secured multimillion-dollar grants, and strengthened institutional accreditation.
Her national recognition includes the prestigious 2023 Gold Award from the Arnold P. Gold Foundation and ongoing service as a consultant on program accreditation and healthcare disparities.
Dr. Spivey-Brown’s presidency adds to the growing—though still underrepresented—roster of women leading HBCUs. While women make up the majority of students enrolled at many of these institutions, they continue to hold fewer than one-third of presidential roles across the sector.
At Oakwood, Dr. Spivey-Brown will be charged with leading the university through both its spiritual and academic mission—centered on “excellence in faith, scholarship, and leadership”—while addressing broader challenges facing small private HBCUs, including enrollment shifts and financial resilience.