Fisk Univ. appoints Agenia Walker Clark, a Nashville leader, as its next president.

After a yearlong search, Fisk University has announced its next president. On Tuesday, Sept. 12, the university’s board of trustees declared Agenia Walker Clark the HBCU’s 18th president. According to The Tennessean, the appointment makes Clark the third female to lead the university as she replaces interim president and board member Frank Sims, starting on Nov. 6.

Clark expressed her enthusiasm for the position in a news release from the board. “To serve a new generation of brilliant, socially minded students—not unlike their counterparts of decades past, like W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, John Lewis, and Dr. Diane Nash—is surely the honor of my lifetime,” she said. “No institution of higher-ed has a richer legacy— or a richer promise for the future—than Fisk.”

The new president has an impressive track record. She has held roles as a member of the International Women’s Forum; a board member for FirstBank Financial Corp., Belmont University, and Simmons University; vice president of human resources for the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation; senior director of human resources at Vanderbilt University. She is also an inductee in the Academy for Women of Achievement.

Fisk Board of Trustees Chair Juliette Pryor expressed confidence in Clark’s new role. "Dr. Clark’s lifelong dedication to improving the lives of young people, along with her unique combination of fundraising and brand-building skills, are exactly what Fisk needs today”, Pryor said in a release. “I know that Dr. Clark’s bold ideas will positively impact our campus community today while assuring a fast-growing trajectory for the future.”

Before her appointment as Fisk's 18th president, Clark garnered recognition as CEO of the Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee where she served nearly 19 years. She thanked the organization for a “joyous journey” in a news release from the local Girl Scout Council. “The local Girl Scout Council offered me the opportunity to work with some of the best leaders in this community who have served on its board,” Clark said. “Without the board and the strength of the team who makes a difference every day, it would not be possible to serve more than 12,500 girls and 5,000 volunteers.”

Pam Self, Chief Operating Officer of the Girl Scouts of Tennessee, is set to serve as interim CEO while the organization searches for a new leader to replace Clark.

We’re excited to welcome Agenia Walker Clark to Fisk University and watch her lead the university to new heights. We wish her the best of luck in her new role!

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