Reinforcing Leadership at Historically Black Colleges
February 20, 2026 – Presidential turnover has become an increasingly urgent issue across higher education, but the stakes are especially high at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). As HBCUs navigate rising enrollment demand, heightened fundraising expectations, and growing public visibility, leadership continuity is emerging as a critical factor in long-term institutional strength. Yet many campuses continue to face short tenures and frequent transitions at the top—disruptions that can stall strategic momentum, strain internal governance, and complicate relationships with alumni, donors, and community partners.
Gerri Williams, partner at CarterBaldwin Executive Search, recently joined Hunt Scanlon Media in a recent podcast to discuss why leadership continuity matters so deeply for HBCUs. “I spent the first almost two decades of my career working in higher ed,” said Dr. Williams. “I witnessed the struggles on those campuses that couldn’t recruit and retain strong leadership. Now that I’m entering my 10th year in executive search work, I see that we really do have an opportunity to come alongside these boards and come alongside these college presidents and really serve them as a trusted partner as they navigate through the leadership transitions on their campuses. So you ask the question kind of what ultimately drew me to this work.”
Dr. Williams recently released an article titled Breaking the Two -Years Cycle, Strengthening Presidential Tenure at HBCUs, where she shares a striking statistic that the average tenure of an HBCU president is now under three years. “That statistic, it truly stopped me in my tracks. Studies show that historically black colleges and universities presidents are serving shorter terms than the national average,” she said. “And that gap, it does have just significant real consequences. I really felt compelled to address it now because of the work that I personally do with executive search.”
“HBCU presidents are really being asked to lead through extraordinary complex times right now,” Dr. Williams explained. “We’re talking about financial pressures, enrollment challenges, heightened accountability, and this growing expectation from their donors and their communities. Without adequate time and trust, even the strongest college presidents, they’re going to be set up to fail. So elevating this conversation of short tenures of HBCU presidents, it really is urgent and it’s necessary when you think about the growth, the stability, and the future of our HBCUs.”
Related: Finding Senior Leaders for Higher Education Institutions
“Historically black colleges and universities play a significant role when you talk about educating our black leaders and our black professionals across this nation and ultimately across the world,” Dr. Williams explained. “So when you have leadership instability at our HBCUs, there’s this ripple effect that extends well beyond just one single college campus. You have current and prospective donors that will hesitate when they think about giving their finances to an institution that’s unstable. Leadership instability also affects student recruitment and student enrollment. Perspective students and families, they pay close attention to presidential transitions.”
Shifting Priorities
“Frequent presidential leadership changes often mean shifting priorities, and it can cause fatigue when you think about faculty and staff who are committed to that organization,” Dr. Williams said. “So ultimately, this is not only a historically black college and university issue. It is a higher ed issue. It is a societal issue because HBCUs, they’re essential in the leadership development of our future leaders of this nation and world.”
Leadership Stability at HBCUs: Breaking the Cycle of Short Presidential Tenures
In this episode of Talent Talks, Rob Adams speaks with Dr. Gerri Williams, Partner at CarterBaldwin Executive Search, about the growing challenge of presidential turnover at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Drawing on her experience advising boards and leading presidential searches, Dr. Williams explores why leadership stability matters, what’s driving short tenures, and how governance alignment and more intentional search practices can help break the cycle. The conversation highlights the broader implications for students, faculty, donors, and the future of higher education leadership. To hear the podcast, please click here!
Much of this misalignment between boards and presidents is around expectations, authority, and even decision making, according to Dr. Williams. “Sometimes presidents are hired without a full transparency about the financial realities that are taking place on that college campus or even about the dynamics of governance,” she said. “In other cases, I believe that boards unintentionally move into this operational role rather than staying focused on strategy for the institution and allowing that president to lead that institution. And I don’t believe these challenges are rooted in bad intent. However, without clarity and alignment early on and very early on, these small issues, they’ll escalate quickly.”
Where Searches Most Often Go Wrong
There are two ways that search can go wrong Dr. Williams noted. “I work with many presidential boards looking to hire the next president and searches most often go wrong when the board will prioritize credentials, someone who’s familiar to the institution, or someone who’s a profile or celebrity appointment. They begin to prioritize that over true alignment with that institution,” she said. “So a strong resume or a well-known name or even someone that’s heavily admired by the board, that does not guarantee success in a complex governance environment like higher education. Presidential leadership requires far more than just reputational past accomplishments. It requires the ability to navigate board dynamics and to lead through this space of ambiguity. Boards sometimes they think that if they choose a high profile person, that’s the best fit and it’s usually not.”
“The second thing I would say, a second common pitfall that I see is when boards rush the search process and avoid having the hard conversations that really matter most. Too often I see that decisions about leadership, about decision-making and authority, even about governance boundaries and first year priorities, they are minimized by the board or search committee and they’re postponed until after the presidential hire. That truly is a missed opportunity because during the search process, that really is the moment when expectations should be clarified and not assumed.
To hear the full podcast, please click here!
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
