Yolanda W. Page, Ph.D. is the 8th President of Stillman College, a four-year, private, church-affiliated historically Black college located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and the only four-year HBCU in West Alabama. Since being appointed President in July 2023, Dr. Page has served as chief executive officer of the institution, reporting directly to the Board of Trustees and providing strategic leadership across business and community engagement, institutional advancement, campus culture, and the student experience. She also holds the rank of Professor of English. Dr. Page is leading the college through its sesquicentennial year, marking 150 years since its founding in 1876.

Under Dr. Page’s leadership, Stillman College has achieved a series of significant institutional milestones. The college secured SACSCOC approval for its first Master of Business Administration (MBA) program, achieving master’s degree-granting status for the first time in its history. Stillman also earned designation as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense through 2028, achieved CAEP reaccreditation for its Education program, and introduced new academic offerings including a Sport Management major, an AI Certification for students, and a Computer Science concentration within the Business Administration program. The college was recognized as a College of Distinction in 2024, 2025 and 2026. In 2026, Stillman was awarded a $2,241,737 grant from the National Science Foundation through its HBCU-UP Implementation Projects initiative to launch IMPACTS@SC-I, a five-year effort to strengthen STEM education through micro-credentialing, expanded faculty-student research, and stronger industry partnerships.

Dr. Page has prioritized strategic partnerships and resource development throughout her presidency. She established Alabama’s first HBCU-Charter School partnership with I Dream Big Charter School, an initiative featured in Forbes and supported through Bloomberg Philanthropies’ $20 million charter school initiative. She has also facilitated transformative partnerships with organizations including United Way of West Alabama, Getty Images, SodexoMagic, and the Alabama Department of Labor, and secured multi-year agreements with Visit Tuscaloosa to host HBCU Athletic Conference championship tournaments in basketball, baseball, and softball. She has also expanded Stillman’s academic pipeline through new articulation and pathway agreements, signing a transfer agreement with Bishop State Community College that allows eligible associate-level credits to transfer directly toward a bachelor’s degree at Stillman, and an MOU with Faulkner University establishing a pathway for Stillman students to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, expanding access to healthcare careers across Alabama’s Black Belt region. Under her leadership, the college raised $662,975 during its 2025 Giving Tuesday campaign and increased annual fundraising, fall enrollment, and student retention.

Before joining Stillman, Dr. Page served as Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Savannah State University, where she oversaw academic programming for 34 undergraduate and five graduate degree programs and managed a $29 million budget. She previously served for nearly a decade as Vice President of the Division of Academic Affairs at Dillard University, where she oversaw development of the university’s first master’s degree program and secured or influenced more than $40 million in grants and private funding. Her academic leadership career also includes service as Dean and Interim Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences and Chair of the Department of English, Theatre and Mass Communications at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, as well as earlier roles at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and Dillard University, where she began her career as an Instructor of English in 1994.

Dr. Page earned her Ph.D. in English Literature, with a specialization in American and African American Literatures, and her M.A. in English Literature, both from Louisiana State University. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and Business Management, graduating Cum Laude, from Dillard University.

Dr. Page currently serves on the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) Board of Directors, including its Governance Committee, Executive Committee, and Accreditation Committee, and as a member of the Baldrige Foundation’s National Leadership & Advisory Council (NLAC). She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Association of Presbyterian Colleges and Universities (APCU), the Independent College Enterprise (ICE) Board of Directors, and the SACSCOC Peer Review Advisory Board. Her honors include selection to Leadership Alabama Class XXXV, recognition among Diverse Issues in Higher Education’s Top 25 Women in Higher Education and Beyond, and the Council of Independent Colleges Chief Academic Officer Award. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, and is a veteran of the U.S. Army Reserve, having served as a Supply Specialist with the 355th General Supply Company from 1988 to 1996.

Dr. Page is married to David D. Page, a higher education professional, and they are the proud parents of two children, William, a second-generation HBCU graduate, and Brooke.