Professor Marilyn Nelson taught at the University of Connecticut from 1978 to 2002. She is the former poet laureate of the State of Connecticut and served in that position from 2001 to 2006. Twice she has been a finalist for the National Book Award.
The Henry G. Lee Professor of English at Pomona College in California, will serve a six-year term promoting the Academy and acting as an ambassador for poetry to the world at large.