"Visionary Leader" Spelman Taps AI and Robotics Guru Dr. Ayanna Howard as Its Next President

Dr. Ayanna Howard is heading to Spelman College after a career that took her through robotics laboratories, engineering classrooms and NASA research facilities. Beginning August 1st, she will become the institution's 12th president.

Currently serving as dean of the College of Engineering at The Ohio State University, Howard will take over after approval by Spelman's Board of Trustees. As reported by Spelman College, trustees selected the nationally recognized engineer following a nationwide search.

Howard built a résumé that stretches across higher education, entrepreneurship and government service. Her professional path includes work at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Georgia Tech and Ohio State.

Board Chair Lovette Russell praised the selection and called Howard "the visionary leader Spelman needs at this pivotal moment in our history."

Founded in 1881, Spelman has long occupied a prominent place in higher education for Black women. Howard now joins a line of presidents tasked with guiding an institution whose graduates have gone on to careers in medicine, business, science, law and public service.

Artificial intelligence and robotics are rapidly changing workplaces across the country. Howard arrives with hands-on expertise in both fields, bringing knowledge tied to technologies reshaping healthcare systems, manufacturing and scientific research.

Her background also includes co-founding Zyrobotics and Black in Robotics. Hundreds of publications and years of engineering work helped establish her reputation far beyond university campuses.

Recognition for her work has reached well beyond academic circles. Professional organizations and technology groups have honored her achievements in engineering, robotics and innovation throughout a career spanning decades.

Students arriving at Spelman today are entering a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence. Howard's career has placed her at the center of many of those technological advances.

Classrooms, laboratories and research centers will soon become her daily workspace in Atlanta. Responsibility for guiding one of the nation's most influential colleges for Black women will rest with an engineer whose career stretched from NASA facilities to university boardrooms.