ATLANTA — Spelman College announced on Thursday that its president will not be returning from her personal leave of absence.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
Dr. Helene Gayle became Spelman’s 11th college president in 2022. She took an extended leave on Oct. 18.
The college expressed its deep admiration for Gayle and her service as president in a letter sent to the Spelman community.
TRENDING STORIES:
- DeKalb County DA announces indictments for incidents inside jail
- 6 agencies investigating after chemicals, human remains found in burnt-out Cobb County funeral home
- Police searching for 2 ‘armed and dangerous’ suspects wanted for murder in southeast GA
Roz Brewer will continue to serve as interim president. Brewer has been a longtime board of trustee member and is a graduate of Spelman.
Gayle became Spelman’s president after former president Mary Schmidt Campbell retired. The school is part of the Atlanta University Center, a consortium of four historically Black schools.
Before working at Spelman, Gayle was president of the Chicago Community Trust, one of the nation’s largest community foundations. She is also an epidemiologist who spent decades fighting AIDS and HIV and led an international anti-poverty group.
Brewer had been involved in overseeing the college for 17 years. She spent 12 years as board chair, where she worked with three Spelman presidents and chaired the two most successful fundraising campaigns in the college’s history. She also previously served as president and CEO of Walgreens Boots Alliance, chief operating officer of Starbucks and CEO of Sam’s Club.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2024 Cox Media Group
