St James AME Church, Elgin, Illinois

The Wilberforce University Board of Trustees has unanimously voted to appoint current Executive Vice President and Provost, Dr. Elfred Anthony Pinkard as the 22nd President of Wilberforce University to succeed Dr. Herman J. Felton, Jr.  This appointment comes after President Felton announced his decision to depart and pursue another opportunity that will continue his work in the HBCU community. Mark Wilson, Chairman of The Board of Trustees states:

“We are excited that Dr. Pinkard will lead us into the next phase of the legacy of Wilberforce University. He is a seasoned administrator who is uniquely qualified for the position as he has worked closely with Dr. Felton in developing the path forward for the University. The incredible and exciting momentum occasioned by the Wilberforce Renaissance will continue unabated”. 

A native of Miami, Florida, Dr. Pinkard holds a Doctorate degree from Harvard University, a Masters from Howard University, and a BA from Morehouse College.  Over his more than 40-year career, Dr. Pinkard has served as the Founding Executive Director of the UNCF Institute of Capacity Building; Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Johnson C. Smith University; Associate Provost at Dillard University; Chief Planning Officer at Spelman College; Chair, Division of Social Sciences at Florida Memorial University.  In addition, Dr. Pinkard had held faculty and administrative positions at Miami Dade College, Colgate University, the College of Wooster, and California State University-Long Beach.

Dr. Pinkard will begin his tenure on March 1, 2018. Wilberforce’s current President, Dr. Herman J. Felton, Jr. has served the University with distinction and commitment and the University has grown stronger under his leadership. He will work closely with, Dr. Pinkard to facilitate and support a smooth and seamless transition of presidential leadership.