CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Johnson C. Smith University named Dr. Valerie Kinloch, a 1996 graduate, to lead the school on Friday.

“It’s a dream come true to be invited to lead one of the finest Historically Black Colleges and Universities in America – and at the same time come home,” Kinloch said in a press release. “My years at JCSU were some of the best of my life. This university set me on course to grow beyond anything I could imagine, so it is incredibly gratifying to return and give back to the institution that helped make me who I am.”

A native of Charleston, S.C., Kinloch succeeds Clarence D. Armbrister, who successfully led the university for more than five years. She’ll fully assume the post on Aug. 1. Chairman Steven Boyd, a former Coca-Cola executive, will resign his trustee post to serve as interim president until Dr. Kinloch’s start date.

Kinloch is also a member of its Board of Trustees.

Kinloch currently serves as Dean of the School of Education at the University of Pittsburgh. Previously, she held positions as associate dean and professor at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, and as a faculty member at Teachers College-Columbia University in New York City and the University of Houston-Downtown.

Kinloch was the board of trustees’ unanimous choice. Chairman Steven Boyd said he had been impressed by Kinloch’s work on the board over the past two years and was thrilled when she decided to pursue the presidency.

Kinloch holds a bachelor’s degree in English and Literature from JCSU as well as a master’s in English/African American Literature and a doctorate in English, both from Wayne State University in Detroit.

Recently, Education Week named her to its 2023 list of the nation’s most influential scholars, and she also successfully served as President of the National Council of Teachers of English.