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Honoring the Legacy of Past Presidents

Presidential Pioneers

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A Legacy of Excellence

Founded in 1881 as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary, we became Spelman College in 1924. Now a global leader in the education of women of African descent, Spelman is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), and we are proud members of the Atlanta University Center Consortium.

About Us History in Brief 

Sophia B. Packard
Sophia B. Packard Sophia B. Packard and the birth of Spelman College.
Harriet E. Giles
Harriet E. Giles The impact of Harriet E. Giles and her work empowering Black women.
Lucy Hale Tapley
Lucy Hale Tapley Her 37 years of service advanced the founders’ commitment to academic excellence for Black women.
Florence M. Read
Florence M. Read Her leadership carried forward the vision of Spelman’s earlier presidents.
Albert E. Manley
Albert E. Manley, Ph.D. Became Spelman’s first Black president and first male president in 1953.
Donald M. Stewart
Donald M. Stewart, Ph.D. Spelman’s sixth president, beginning in 1976, supported academic achievement and leadership development.
Johnnetta B. Cole
Johnnetta B. Cole, Ph.D. Became Spelman’s seventh president and its first Black woman president in 1987.
Audrey F. Manley
Audrey F. Manley, M.D., C’55 Appointed eighth president in 1997, she was the first Spelman alumna to lead the College.
Beverly Daniel Tatum
Beverly Daniel Tatum, Ph.D. The scholar, author and race relations expert became Spelman’s ninth president in August 2002.
Mary Schmidt Campbell
Mary Schmidt Campbell Began her service as Spelman’s 10th president in August 2015.
Helene D. Gayle
Helene D. Gayle Began serving as Spelman’s 11th president in July 2022.
Rosalind Roz Brewer
Rosalind “Roz” Brewer, C’84 Served as interim president and chair emerita from 2025–2026.