Texas College has announced the appointment of SherRhonda Gibbs as its 24th president, making her the first woman to lead the institution since its founding in 1894. She will officially assume the role on July 1, 2026.
The appointment signals more than a leadership transition it reflects a broader shift toward representation, innovation, and forward-looking institutional strategy within the HBCU landscape.
Dr. Gibbs brings more than two decades of experience across higher education and industry. She currently serves as Dean of the Business and Economics Division at Morehouse College, where her leadership has centered on strengthening academic programs, expanding experiential learning, and building partnerships that connect students to real-world opportunity.
Her background spans both academic and corporate environments, including roles at IBM and the Mayo Clinic, along with faculty and leadership appointments at multiple institutions. Her work has consistently focused on entrepreneurship, economic mobility, and creating pathways for underrepresented students.
At Morehouse, she also played a key role in raising over $30 million to support student-focused initiatives in areas such as finance, real estate, and professional development—an important signal of her ability to align vision with resources.
Dr. Gibbs’s selection comes at a pivotal time for Texas College, a private HBCU with deep roots in faith and community. As institutions across the sector navigate enrollment pressures, funding constraints, and evolving workforce demands, leadership appointments like this one carry added weight.
This aligns with a broader trend across HBCUs—presidents being called not only to lead campuses, but to position institutions as engines of mobility and innovation within their regions.
Dr. Gibbs succeeds Dr. Dwight J. Fennell, who led Texas College for 18 years and leaves behind a legacy of financial stabilization and endowment growth.