Nancy Oliver Gray became the eleventh president of Hollins University in Roanoke, Va., in January 2005 after serving five-and-a-half years as president of Converse College in South Carolina. She brought to Hollins a strong belief in the liberal arts and sciences and the need for women's colleges in higher education.

During her presidency, Gray has led Hollins in the development of a five-year strategic plan that is intended to meet the challenges of a new century and reaffirm Hollins' historic commitment to women's education. The university has enjoyed other major accomplishments under her leadership, including the introduction of a new major in environmental studies, a new certificate program in leadership studies, and an extensive seminar program especially designed for first-year students; the largest incoming class of new students in seven years during the fall of 2007; its best fundraising year in history (2006-2007); and the launch in 2008 of the public phase of the largest comprehensive fundraising campaign in Hollins’ history, the $125 million Campaign for Women Who Are Going Places. The campaign, which concluded in June 2010, raised more than $161 million, far exceeding its goal. With Gray’s guidance, Hollins has been operating with balanced budgets for the past six years and eliminated its debt.

Gray is a 1973 graduate of Vanderbilt University, holds a master of education degree from North Texas State University, and completed additional graduate work at Vanderbilt. In 2002 she received an honorary doctorate of human letters from Presbyterian College. Gray first worked in student affairs at Vanderbilt and then focused on institutional advancement at Vanderbilt, the University of Louisville, and Oberlin College, eventually serving with distinction as vice president of development and alumnae relations from 1991-1998 at Rider University in New Jersey. She was vice president of seminary relations at Princeton Theological Seminary (and now serves on their Board of Trustees) when she was named president of Converse College.

Gray is a member of the Board of Directors of the Council of Independent Colleges, and is Past Chair of the Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia. She is treasurer of the Women’s College Coalition and also holds memberships on the Policy Committee for the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) and the Board of Directors of the Tuition Plan Consortium. She serves as the Presidential Sponsor for the Virginia Network of the American Council on Education’s Office of Women in Higher Education. In the Roanoke area, she serves on the boards of United Way of the Roanoke Valley and The Business Council (a forum for business in the NewVa region); the Community Advisory Board of the Junior League of Roanoke Valley; and the Editorial Advisory Board of Valley Business FRONT magazine.

A native of Dallas, Texas, she is married to David Maxson and between them they have seven adult children.

President Nancy Oliver Gray


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