Debra Saunders-White Will Be the Next Chancellor of North Carolina Central University

Debra Saunders-White was named the 11th chancellor of North Carolina Central University, a historically Black educational institution in Durham.  She will take on her new role on June 1. Dr. Saunders-White has been serving as deputy assistant secretary for higher education programs at the U.S. Department of Education.

Dr. Saunders-White joined the Department of Education in 2011. Previously, she was vice chancellor for information technology systems at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. From 1999 to 2006, she served on the administration at Hampton University in Virginia as assistant vice provost for technology and later as vice president for technology and chief information officer.

Early in her professional career, she was a marketing executive for IBM and later taught mathematics at St. George’s School in Newport, Rhode Island.

A native of Hampton, Virginia, Dr. Saunders-White is a graduate of the University of Virginia. She holds an MBA from the College of William and Mary and a doctorate in higher education administration from George Washington University.