Dear Tougaloo College Family Members,

On behalf of the Tougaloo College Board of Trustees, I wish to share with you the progress the Presidential Search Committee has made in recent weeks. Search Committee Co-chairs Shirlethia Franklin and Carol Palmer, and I thoughtfully reviewed ten experienced national search firms. We then interviewed four of those firms, and after further discussion and interviews, we presented two finalists to the Tougaloo Board of Trustees. The Board has selected the firm WittKieffer to assist in conducting our search for the next President of Tougaloo College.

WittKieffer is the only top 10 search firm in the country specializing in serving higher education and the broader nonprofit sector. Last year alone, the firm conducted more than 500 leadership searches in education. They bring a strong history of successfully conducting searches for college and university presidents/chancellors. WittKieffer has conducted more than 140 searches for presidents and chancellors in the last five years.

WittKieffer has supported leadership recruitment efforts for hundreds of prestigious colleges, universities, and academic medical centers, including several Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Christine J. Pendleton, Principal in the firm’s Education Market, will lead the search and will be joined in the effort by Senior Associate Maya Holt Brockenbrough, Ph.D. They have conducted and supported leadership searches for HBCUs such as Prairie View A&M, Texas Southern, Langston University, and Spelman College, to name a few.

We are grateful that Dr. Donzell Lee, an experienced educator who came out of retirement in July 2023 to serve as Interim President and who later accepted the responsibility to serve as President of Tougaloo College, will remain in that position until June 2026. He looks forward to spending transition time with the newly selected President.

The Search Committee Co-Chairs and I, Committee Members Trustees Derrick Johnson, Trustee/TCNAA President Joyce Small Delk, Faculty Senate President Meherun Laiju, Ph.D., Staff Senate President James Reed, IV, SGA President Morgan Stanley, and Community Representative Debra Magee, will work closely with WittKieffer throughout the process in the coming months. Our trustees will participate and be engaged in the process, and we will ultimately receive the final three candidates as we move toward a decision.

WittKieffer has scheduled listening sessions for members of the Tougaloo community, including the Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, alumni, and, of course, our students. Please see the dates and times below for each session:

• Search Committee – Friday, June 20th at 9:00 AM
• Board of Trustees – Monday, June 23rd at 4:00 PM
• Faculty Senate – Tuesday, June 24th at 6:00 PM
• Staff Senate – Wednesday, June 25th at 3:00 PM
• Alumni – Thursday, June 26th at 5:00 PM
• Students - TBA

WittKieffer has also created a dedicated email address for the Presidential Search to receive all inquiries, suggestions for potential candidates, and nominations: TougalooPresident@wittkieffer.com.

The Presidential Search is an important moment for our historic institution. Our commitment is to be open and inclusive throughout this process. Our shared goal is clear: to select the very best candidate who embodies the vision, integrity, and commitment needed to lead Tougaloo forward and ensure our continued success in providing the best possible educational opportunities for all our students.

Blondean Y. Davis, Ed.D.
Chairwoman, Tougaloo College Board of Trustees