Dr. Johnnetta Cole
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Position: President
Organization: Bennett College for Women
Location: Greensboro, NC
Johnnetta Betsch Cole is a member of the Citizens Advisory Group.
Johnnetta Betsch Cole is the 14th president of Bennett College for Women in Greensboro, North Carolina, a predominantly African American liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. She made history in 1987 by becoming the first African American woman to serve as president of Spelman College, a historically black women's institution in Atlanta. Dr. Cole completed her undergraduate degree at Oberlin College, then earned a master's degree and a Ph.D. in anthropology from Northwestern University. A professor emerita at Emory University, she is the author of numerous publications for scholarly and general audiences, most recently with a book she co-authored with Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Gender Talk: The Struggle for Women's Equality in African American Communities. Her published works, speeches, and community service consistently address issues of discrimination. In May 2004 she became the first African American to serve as chair of the board of United Way of America, and she is also on the boards of the Carter Center, the National Visionary Leadership Project, the United Way of Greater Greensboro, and Merck & Co., Inc. In addition to 50 honorary degrees, Dr. Cole has received numerous awards, including the TransAfrica Forum Global Public Service Award, the Dorothy I. Height Dreammaker Award, the Radcliffe Medal, the Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Medal, the 2001 Alexis de Tocqueville Award for Community Service from United Way of America, and the Joseph Prize for Human Rights from the Anti-Defamation League.