PORTLAND — Dr. Robin Holmes-Sullivan will be the first woman and first Black person to become president of Lewis & Clark College in the school’s 155-year history.
She will step into the role in July after President Wim Wiewel retires, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.
Holmes-Sullivan is currently vice president for student life and dean of students at Lewis & Clark, which is a private liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon.
“It’s obviously something that is going to be, and is, very meaningful to me and to our school and also to the young people who will be looking at me as someone who they can feel inspired by,” Holmes-Sullivan said. “They can realize that they can dream big.”
Prior to Lewis & Clark, Holmes-Sullivan worked for the University of California system as vice president of student affairs. Before that, she spent almost three decades at the University of Oregon.
She started at the University of Oregon as a clinical coordinator in the university’s counseling center and eventually became the vice president of student life.
The Lewis & Clark Board of Trustees selected Holmes-Sullivan as president following a nationwide search that attracted over 100 applicants, according to the college.
“In these tumultuous times, especially in regard to student issues, I can’t think of a more level-headed and experienced leader than Robin,” current president Wim Wiewel said in a statement.
