Dr. Ruth Simmons – President Emeritus, Brown University

In 2001, Simmons became the 18th president of Brown University, the first African-American to lead an Ivy League institution. She was president of Smith College from 1995 to 2001, after serving as vice provost of Princeton University and provost of Spelman College. She has served in various administrative positions at the University of Southern California and Princeton. She has served as a director and trustee of several major corporations, including Texas Instruments, Carnegie Corporation of New York and Goldman Sachs Group.