Linda Strong-Leak was appointed provost at Berea College in Kentucky. When she takes office on July 1, she will be the first African American to serve as the senior academic administrator at the college.
Berea College enrolls just under 1,700 students, according to the latest data supplied to the U.S. Department of Education. African Americans make up 15 percent of the student body.
Dr. Strong-Leak joined the faculty at Berea College in 2002. She currently serves as vice president for diversity and inclusion, associate vice president for academic affairs, and professor of women’s and gender studies at the college. Earlier in her career, Dr. Strong-Leak served on the faculty at Florida International University in Miami. Her current research is focused on the novels of Caribbean women writers.
Professor Strong-Leak earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from North Carolina Central University in Durham. She holds a Ph.D. in English with a concentration in African American literature from Michigan State University.
