Dr. Carmen Ambar, named last week as the first African-American president in Oberlin College’s 184 years of existence, said that making history is affirming to African-American children that they can do anything.
“The power of it is in what it means to the African-American community, and what it means to young Black girls and young Black boys who don’t always see images that are affirming,” Ambar told Diverse in a recent phone interview.
Ambar, who will become the 15th president of the Ohio college, is the current president at Cedar Crest College in Allentown, Penn., where she also made history as that institution’s youngest president. She said she hopes she leaves a legacy at Cedar Crest with the multiple programs she implemented such as the Sophomore Expedition, a study abroad program for all sophomore students fully funded by the school.
“What I hope I’ve left for them is this sense of empowerment,” said Ambar. “The sense that they can achieve at the highest level in whatever field they choose because of the types of programs and initiatives we have provided for them.”
Ambar was raised in Little Rock, Ark. by a family that was “dedicated to education.” She completed her undergraduate at Georgetown University, received a joint degree from Princeton University and Columbia University. Among her many accomplishments, she also is a mother to triplets.
“I went off to practice law because I thought it was really important to get the skill set of being a litigator, and I’m glad that I did that because it served me well in terms of just the work that you do as a college president,” said Ambar.
Ambar has a passion for the work she does as a leader, and helping students realize the many possibilities in life. Before her position at Cedar Crest College, she was the youngest dean at Douglass College in New Jersey for six years.
