CHRISTOPHER GILMER

Dr. Christopher GilmerChristopher Gilmer has been named the fourth president of Heritage University, effective July 1. Gilmer is currently vice president for strategic initiatives and social justice at Tougaloo College in Jackson, Mississippi, where he has also been on the college’s Board of Trustees.

Gilmer served as faculty and administrator at two other Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), including Alcorn University, the oldest public land-grant HBCU in the U.S.

Gilmer’s other leadership roles included vice president for academic affairs at Adams State University in Colorado, a Hispanic-Serving Institution, and president of West Virginia University at Parkersburg and West Virginia University Potomac State College.

Gilmer is the founder of the National Institutes for Historically-Underserved Students, an adhoc national think tank currently including underserved students, broadly defined, and their champions from 26 states and the District of Columbia.

Gilmer earned a doctorate in English with an emphasis in writing from the University of Southern Mississippi. He earned his master’s degree from Mississippi College and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern Mississippi.