Spelman College has a new leading lady. The Atlanta institution, ranked the nation’s No. 1 HBCU by U.S. News & World Report, has appointed Dr. Ayanna Howard as its 12th president. Dr. Howard joins Spelman from The Ohio State University College of Engineering, where she became the first woman to serve as dean in 2021. A renowned roboticist, author, former NASA engineer and educator, Dr. Howard has built a career at the intersection of technology, innovation and education. Her groundbreaking work has earned her numerous accolades, including being named to Forbes’ America’s Top 50 Women in Tech list. She also co-founded Zyrobotics, a company that develops therapeutic and educational products for children with special needs. Before officially assuming her duties on Aug. 1, Dr. Howard sat down with Know Your Value’s Britt Miller for a candid conversation about upholding Spelman’s legacy, shaping future generations and the pivotal role of Black women in the age of artificial intelligence. “I will say AI has left the train station, in fact, in some cases it’s like a bullet train, and I don’t think that we as a society have really grappled with what that means,” said Dr. Howard. “I always think that the way that we can make sure that we are relevant as humans is to tap into those liberal arts, tap into the humanities, tap into the creativeness, tap into the ethics, tap into the human judgment. It’s actually the one thing that makes us relevant in this age of AI, and Spelman…
Want more insights? Join Grow With Caliber - our career elevating newsletter and get our take on the future of work delivered weekly.
