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Spelman Names NASA Engineer Ayanna Howard 12th President

6/6/2026

Summary

Howard Becomes President

Spelman College announced that Dr. Ayanna Howard will become its 12th president on August 1 2026.
Howard, the Monte Ahuja Endowed Dean of Ohio State University’s College of Engineering, previously worked at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and co-founded Black in Robotics.
Lovette Russell, chair of Spelman’s Board of Trustees, called Howard a visionary leader while interim President Rosalind “Roz” Brewer will stay co-chair of the Spelman Forward campaign after Howard assumes office.

Summary

Howard Embraces Arts

On June 4, 2026, Ayanna Howard appeared at the Innovation Laboratory in the Mary Schmidt Campbell Center for Innovation & the Arts.
She said she loves the humanities and fine arts, indicating an interdisciplinary approach for her presidency.
Howard holds an MBA from Claremont Graduate University, adding formal business training to her engineering background.
Her undergraduate degree was earned at Brown University before she completed master’s and doctoral engineering studies at USC.

Summary

Howard Leads AI

Howard's presidency positions Spelman to lead the ethical AI debate in liberal arts.
She is the first roboticist and AI specialist to lead Spelman, ending a line of presidents from medicine, anthropology and psychology.
Howard notes Spelman's roughly 2,700 students and small size let it swiftly adapt AI curricula.
She urges students to probe, ask “Just because we can, should we?” and anchor AI changes in Spelman’s legacy with faculty.

History

Historical Context

President John F. Kennedy’s 1961 pledge spurred the Apollo program, culminating in Apollo 11’s July 20 1969 Moon landing that relied on JPL’s guidance work and the effort of over 500,000 U.S. engineers, scientists and technicians. Decades later, former JPL robotics leader Dr. Ayanna Howard joins Spelman College to head its AI curriculum, extending that legacy of pioneering technology into liberal-arts education.

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Howard Becomes President

Spelman College announced that Dr. Ayanna Howard will become its 12th president on August 1 2026.
Howard, the Monte Ahuja Endowed Dean of Ohio State University’s College of Engineering, previously worked at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and co-founded Black in Robotics.
Lovette Russell, chair of Spelman’s Board of Trustees, called Howard a visionary leader while interim President Rosalind “Roz” Brewer will stay co-chair of the Spelman Forward campaign after Howard assumes office.

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