After one year of service as interim president, Manya Whitaker has been officially named the fifteenth president of Colorado College.
Colorado College enrolls about 2,200 undergraduate students, 57 percent of whom are women. The liberal arts college also has a small graduate population of less than 30 students.
During the spring 2024 semester, Dr. Whitaker was appointed to a two-year term as interim president, effective July 1, 2024. Over the past year, she has overseen several critical institutional priorities and surpassed fundraising goals, showcasing her leadership skills and earning the confidence of the Colorado College community.
Before taking on her interim presidency, Dr. Whitaker was the college’s executive vice president and chief of staff. A faculty member since 2011, she previously held the David and Lucile Packard Professorship in the department of education. Her extensive research on social and political issues in education has led to numerous articles, book chapters, and books, including Public School Equity: Educational Leadership for Justice (Routledge, 2023).
“It has been a profound honor to serve this extraordinary community as interim president over the past year and as a faculty member in the years prior,” said Dr. Whitaker. “I am inspired daily by our students’ passion, our faculty’s wisdom, our staff’s dedication, and the entire campus community’s commitment to the college’s values. I look forward to working together to build on our strengths and shape an even brighter future for Colorado College.”
Dr. Whitaker is an honors graduate of Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, where she majored in psychology. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in developmental psychology and urban education from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.