Valerie Kinloch played school with an eye toward the future.
Growing up in Charleston, South Carolina, there was role play and modeling teacher behavior with playmates. Then, graduation to administrator. Along the way, something was brewing: career aspirations.
“We would play school on the front porch, and we would have like these images of what it would mean to be an educator or a leader,” Kinloch recalled. “I thought I would eventually do something like this, but I really didn’t think that I would. And I think all of the experiences that I’ve had have prepared me for this moment.”
That moment is Kinloch’s return to Johnson C. Smith University as its next president. A 1996 JCSU graduate, she takes over effective Aug. 1 as the second woman to lead the school, which enrolls approximately 1,100 students. Dorothy Cowser Yancy, JCSU’s president from 1994-2008 was the first, and her example was an inspiration.
“I remember [Yancy] like it was yesterday,” said Kinloch, dean of the School of Education at the University of Pittsburgh. “She was always a force, she knew what she wanted to create, and somehow she found a way to create it. I’ve always watched her; I watched her after I left here. I watched her when I was working on that master’s and PhD, thinking about what leadership looks like, particularly with Black women and women of color. She probably doesn’t know this, but she was instrumental in how I thought about entering into higher education.”
Yancy, who went on to lead Shaw University in Raleigh before retiring in 2013, didn’t knowingly shape Kinloch’s career trajectory, but takes delight in making an impact.
“Sometimes when you when you are an example for people or they see you as a role model, you don’t know you just have to do your job,” Yancy told The Post. “Try to do the best that you can and hope that somewhere along the way you influence someone. You don’t know that you’re influencing people when it happens. But I’m very proud of her career as I watched her at Wayne State [University in Detroit where she for master’s and doctorate degrees]; I watched her at Columbia, and I watched her at Ohio State. Of course, I remember when she became the dean up at Pitt. Each move I followed her and it’s been awesome to watch.”
Yancy recalled Kinloch’s potential was apparent during her undergraduate days. On a small campus like JCSU’s, star students are celebrated among faculty, administrators, and alumni alike.
“She was an English major and was one of Dr. Maxine Funderburk Moore’s students,” Yancy said. “[Moore] used to talk about her, and after she graduated and went to Wayne State, we tried to hire her to come back when she was finishing her degree because Dr. Moore was just determined to bring her back to Johnson C. Smith. She used to say ‘we have to watch her now, she’s going to do well, she’s going to do great things.’ Dr. Moore is in heaven smiling right now.”
In addition to her academic credentials, Kinloch has published nine books and Education Week named her to its 2023 list of most influential U.S. scholars. She was previously president of the National Council of Teachers of English. What she brings to JCSU is a diverse background that includes leadership positions at some elite public colleges as well as an intimate knowledge of HBCU culture.
“The fact that she knew the institution, was a graduate of the institution” is an asset, said Charlotte City Council member Malcolm Graham, a 1985 JCSU graduate and member of the presidential search committee. “Her relationship knowing the HBCU culture, her academic credentials having grown up in the faculty, understanding how all that works; the fact that she’s heading up a major program at the University of Pittsburgh and was personable, sharp and candid and demonstrated a willingness and understanding where the university is today and where she wanted to lead it into the future.”
At Pittsburgh, Kinloch oversees nearly 1,000 students and 300 full- and part-time faculty and staff. In addition to her duties recruiting faculty and fundraising, Kinloch has overseen more than $9 million in capital projects and renovations. Before that, she was associate dean and professor at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, and taught at Teachers College-Columbia University in New York City and the University of Houston-Downtown.
“It’s a dream come true to be invited to lead one of the finest Historically Black Colleges and Universities in America – and at the same time come home,” Kinloch said. “My years at JCSU were some of the best of my life. This university set me on course to grow beyond anything I could imagine, so it is incredibly gratifying to return and give back to the institution that helped make me who I am.”
Kinloch, who has been on JCSU’s board of trustees for two years, recused herself during the search process as well as the final vote. She was unanimously approved by trustees. Chairman Steven Boyd, a 1979 JCSU graduate who will resign his position July 1 to become interim president until Kinloch starts, said her familiarity with the school as a student and trustee will serve her well as president.
“She understands the university both from student perspective, from an educator’s perspective looking in and from a perspective of the Board of Trustees,” he said. “We feel confident that Dr. Kinloch is the candidate that gets the fastest start and has the highest ceiling.”
Kinloch succeeds Clarence Armbrister, who led the university for five years. During his tenure, Armbrister helped raise the university’s public profile and secured $83 million through the Mayor’s Racial Equity Initiative to fund the strategic plan adopted by the board in 2021.
Kinloch said she wants to build awareness among students, families, and funders as well as reimagine curriculum, elevate faculty and staff and increase alumni engagement.
“We need to make space for innovation and for different types of learning – not just inside of classrooms but also through internships, experiential engagements, and job placements with businesses, organizations and community groups with whom we have deep relationships,” she said. “We have to support critical thinking and provide an education that prepares students for the careers they want and that the community needs. We also have to encourage students to pursue even higher forms of education.”
Yancy believes Kinloch has the skills and temperament to succeed at their alma mater.
“Last week was an exciting week,” she said. “I had difficulty going to sleep, I was so excited. I’m so happy that she’s back.”
