Manya Whitaker, executive vice president and chief of staff at Colorado College, has been selected to serve as the college’s interim president for the next two years. Dr. Whitaker’s selection follows the resignation of former president, L. Song Richardson, the first woman of color to lead Colorado College. Dr. Whitaker will assume her new duties on July 1.
Colorado College enrolls just under 2,200 undergraduate students and less than 30 graduate students across the college’s two master’s degree in teaching programs. Approximately 3 percent of the college’s student body is Black.
Dr. Whitaker has been with Colorado College since 2011. In addition to her administrative responsibilities, she serves the department of education as the David and Lucile Packard Professor. She has held many leadership roles over her tenure with the college including director of the Crown Faculty Center, director of graduate studies and chair of education, and interim director of the Butler Center. Her academic research in the education field focuses on teacher identity development, urban education, family engagement, social justice pedagogy, and culturally responsive pedagogy. She has authored numerous articles, chapters, and books including Public School Equity: Educational Leadership for Justice (Routledge, 2023), Schooling Multicultural Teachers: A Guide for ProfessionalDevelopment and Program Assessment (Emerald Publishing, 2019), and Learning From the inside-out: Child Development and School Choice (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2016).
“The reasons for our appointment of Dr. Whitaker are many, and are grounded in her knowledge of CC, her commitment to its mission, and the drive and skill that have earned her the respect of the board and people across our campus community,” wrote Jeff Keller, Colorado College Board of Trustees Chair, in an email to the college.
Dr. Whitaker graduated with honors from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. She holds a master’s degree in developmental psychology and a Ph.D. in developmental psychology and urban education from Vanderbilt University in Tennessee.
