Marcheta Evans, a college chancellor accustomed to breaking barriers, will do so again in July as the first Black president of St. Catherine University in St. Paul.
Her hiring was announced by the board of trustees on Wednesday.
"We were impressed with Dr. Evans's demonstrated commitment to and experience with advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging for students, faculty and staff," Jean Wincek, chair of the board, said in a news release.
Evans was the first African American and the first woman to serve as president of Bloomfield College, a private college in New Jersey. Last summer, she moved into the role of chancellor after the college merged with Montclair State University, a public university, to create the newly named Bloomfield College of Montclair State University.
In the news release Wednesday, Evans said she was drawn to St. Catherine University's "commitment to empowering women and promoting social justice."
She will be the university's 12th president, and succeeds Becky Roloff, who is retiring in August.
St. Catherine University has a total enrollment of 3,915 students, with 1,402 in its College for Women. Of those 1,402 students, 49% identify as Black, Indigenous and people of color.
Evans graduated from the University of Alabama with a doctorate in counselor education and supervision, and she has written about issues of diversity, multiculturalism, women's issues and leadership.
In a piece published this month on the British website Times Higher Education, she wrote about how people should come together to ensure women in higher education can grow in a culture that is inclusive and supports their quest to lead.
"I'm living proof of what is possible when opportunity is given for women to realise their potential," she wrote.
Plans for her inauguration at St. Catherine University will be announced at a later date.
