Alabama State’s President Boyd Receives Top Honors

Dr. Gwendolyn E. Boyd has received three honors recently for her record of leadership and her accomplishments as President of Alabama State University.

President Gwendolyn E. Boyd recently received top national and state honors from three different organizations.

Boyd was named one of the “Most Interesting College Presidents in America, she was voted one of the “Women Who Shape the State of Alabama” and she was selected to membership in the 2015 class of Leadership Alabama.

“Of course, I am honored to be listed among so many notable people who are all outstanding leaders in their respective areas,” said Boyd. “In returning to my home state to serve as President of my alma mater, I have always expressed my desire to ensure that as many young people as possible have the same opportunity that I was given to achieve my destiny and potential through higher education. I am grateful every day for being able to see that desire fulfilled at Alabama State University.”

The honors recognize Boyd for her leadership, vision and impressive record of accomplishments throughout her career and as ASU’s President.

Below is a synopsis of each of the three honors:

Most Interesting College Presidents In America

Complete List of The Most Interesting College Presidents

• Gwendolyn Boyd, Alabama State University
• Andrew H. Card, Jr., Franklin Pierce University
• Joseph I. Castro, California State University Fresno
• Michael M. Crow, Arizona State University
• Gregory L. Fenves, University of Texas at Austin
• Jane Fernandes, Guilford College E. Gordon Gee, West Virginia University
• Amy Gutmann, University of Pennsylvania
• John L. Hennessy, Stanford University
• Christopher B. Howard, Hampden-Sydney College
• Freeman A. Hrabowski III, University of Maryland Baltimore County
• Shirley Ann Jackson, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• Walter M. Kimbrough, Dillard University
• Wallace D. Loh, University of Maryland College Park
• Glenn F. McConnell, College of Charleston
• Michael A. McRobbie, Indiana University
• Santa J. Ono, University of Cincinnati
• Eduardo J. Padrón, Miami Dade College
• Kenneth W. Starr, Baylor University
• Mark S. Wrighton, Washington University in St. Louis

Women Who Shape The State Of Alabama

AL.com began publishing the list of Women Who Shape the State of Alabama in an effort to recognize the contributions of women who are making a difference in various positions of service and leadership in the state. The article states that Dr. Boyd and the other women on the list are at the “top of their game and professions” in Alabama. It additionally states that they are “affecting position change in their neighborhoods, communities, regions and beyond in all areas of our lives.”

The women featured in the article were among nearly 200 women chosen by the AL.com readership, including teachers, physicians, entrepreneurs, educators, conservationists, activists and corporate leaders. A selection committee at AL.com narrowed the list down to 35 honorees.

Boyd is joined on the list by fellow ASU alumna Shera Grant, a deputy public defender at the Community Law Office in Birmingham, Ala. Grant developed a youth leadership academy to influence children for the better, encouraging education and community involvement.

The honorees will be celebrated during a Nov. 5 luncheon at The Wynfrey Hotel-Hyatt in Hoover, Ala. Tickets begin at $50. For more information, visit here.

Leadership Alabama

President Boyd also has been selected as a member of the prestigious Leadership Alabama organization’s 2015 class of honorees (Class XXVI). Since its founding in 1990, more than 1000 citizen-leaders in Alabama have participated in the Leadership Alabama program.

These members are selected based on their leadership abilities, career accomplishments, volunteer activities, contributions to the community and commitment to help shape a better Alabama.

According to the Leadership Alabama organizers, the members do not share a common age, gender, lifestyle, career or hometown, but they do share a vision of what Alabama can and must be as we move into the 21st century, as well as the ability to lead our state to that visionary future.

Source: Kenneth Mullinax and Timothy C. Ervin, Alabama State University Communications