The CRISIS Leader

Dr. Lynn Perry Wooten, the first Black president of 120-year-old Simmons University, is uniquely prepared to lead the women’s college through these turbulent times.

On February 6, 2020, Dr. Lynn Perry Wooten accepted the position as the first Black president of Simmons University, a women’s school in Boston that specializes in combining a liberal arts education with a hands-on, professional experience. Wooten, who was leaving her post as the David J. Nolan Dean and Professor of Management and Organizations at Cornell University’s Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, excitedly began meeting with university leaders, faculty, staff, alumni, and students; recruiting prospective students; planning the curriculum; and working on new initiatives she was eager to launch…