Willie L. Todd, Jr. has been appointed the twenty-second president of Talladega College in Alabama, effective July 1. The HBCU enrolls nearly 800 undergraduate students, 78 percent of whom are Black. The college also has a small graduate population of roughly 50 students.
Since 2020, Dr. Todd has served as president and chief executive officer of Denmark Technical College, a South Carolina-based community college enrolling a predominately-Black student body. During Dr. Todd’s tenure, Denmark Technical College has significantly increased its fundraising and revenue, as well as improved enrollment, retention, and graduate rates. Within one year of Dr. Todd’s presidency, the community college’s probationary status with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges was lifted.
Before taking on the role of president, Dr. Todd was Denmark Technical College’s vice president for academic affairs and student affairs. Throughout his 32-year career in higher education, he has held key leadership roles with several HBCUs, including Wiley University in Texas, Norfolk State University in Virginia, Clark Atlanta University, and Albany State University in Georgia.
“I am profoundly honored to have been chosen to lead Talladega College, an institution with a powerful legacy and boundless potential,” said Dr. Todd. “This institution was founded in defiance of limitation and in pursuit of possibility. That legacy calls us to lead with boldness and integrity. As a proud product of an HBCU and a lifelong servant of these sacred institutions, I believe the time has come to reimagine liberal arts education as a dynamic force for the future.”
A native of Georgia, Dr. Todd received his bachelor’s degree in English and master’s degree in English education from Albany State University. He earned a master’s degree in higher education administration from Regents University in Virginia Beach and a Ph.D. in English from Georgia State University.
