Jackson State University Counts 12 Sitting College Presidents and Chancellors Among Its Alumni

JACKSON, Miss. — As the fall semester gets underway on campuses nationwide, twelve current college presidents and chancellors share one powerful thread in common: a degree from Jackson State University. Together they lead historically Black colleges and universities, community and technical colleges, and public and private institutions spanning seven states — a remarkable testament to JSU's outsized influence on the future of American higher education.

The distinction lands at a moment when representation in college and university presidencies remains a national conversation. The American Council on Education's most recent study of the college presidency shows that these leadership roles are still concentrated among a narrow set of demographics. Against that backdrop, Jackson State stands out as a genuine leadership pipeline — one that is actively reshaping who sits in the president's chair.

Among the twelve is JSU's own president, Denise J. Gregory, Ph.D., a 1994 graduate who was named president earlier this year and became the first alumna to serve as the university's permanent president. "Twelve Jackson State alumni leading colleges and universities across seven states is both a point of pride and evidence of the university's national impact," Gregory said. "My journey from a student on this campus to president reflects how JSU prepares graduates to step into consequential leadership roles, expand opportunity for students and strengthen the institutions and communities they serve."

Several other alumni made history with their own appointments. SherRhonda Gibbs, Ph.D., who earned a doctoral degree from JSU, recently became the first woman to lead Texas College, a private HBCU in Tyler, Texas. And when Saint Elizabeth University, a private Catholic university in New Jersey, named Gary B. Crosby, Ph.D. — who holds both master's and doctoral degrees from Jackson State — its president in 2021, he became the first African American and first man to lead the university since its founding.

The full roster of sitting college presidents and chancellors who hold Jackson State degrees:

• Kendricks D. Hooker, Ph.D. — President, Augusta Technical College (Augusta, Ga.) — Executive Ph.D., Urban Higher Education
• George T. French, Ph.D. — President, Clark Atlanta University (Atlanta, Ga.) — Executive Ph.D., Urban Higher Education
• Herman J. Felton, Ph.D. — President, Wiley University (Marshall, Texas) — Executive Ph.D., Urban Higher Education
• Melva K. Wallace, Ph.D. — President, Huston-Tillotson University (Austin, Texas) — Executive Ph.D., Urban Higher Education
• Larissa Littleton-Steib, Ph.D. — Chancellor, Delgado Community College (New Orleans, La.) — Executive Ph.D., Urban Higher Education
• Donald Comer, Ph.D. — President, Lane College (Jackson, Tenn.) — Executive Ph.D., Urban Higher Education
• Gary B. Crosby, Ph.D. — President, Saint Elizabeth University (Florham Park, N.J.) — Master's and Doctoral degrees
• SherRhonda Gibbs, Ph.D. — President, Texas College (Tyler, Texas) — Doctoral degree
• Denise J. Gregory, Ph.D. — President, Jackson State University (Jackson, Miss.) — Bachelor's degree
• Glenell M. Lee-Pruitt, Ph.D. — President, Jarvis Christian University (Hawkins, Texas) — Bachelor's and Doctoral degrees
• James T. Minor, Ph.D. — Chancellor, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (Edwardsville, Ill.) — Bachelor's degree
• Marcia Conston, Ph.D. — President, Tidewater Community College (Norfolk, Va.) — Bachelor's and Master's degrees

Founded in 1877, Jackson State University is a historically Black, doctoral institution classified R2 by the Carnegie Classification for its substantial research activity and doctoral degree production. Officially designated as Mississippi's Urban University and the only public university in metropolitan Jackson, JSU continues to advance the state, nation and world through economic development, healthcare, technological and educational initiatives. For students and alumni across the HBCU Connect community, the university's growing roster of leaders is a vivid reminder that the path from an HBCU classroom to the president's office is well-traveled — and still being blazed. Learn more at www.jsums.edu.