The President, Provost, and Deans of the twelve schools lead the academic and administrative affairs of the Institute under the oversight of the Board of Overseers. Every one of them applied for the role knowing full well what it said on the door. We consider that the first qualification.
Executive Leadership
Dr. Eleanor M. Ashford
President
Former Dean of the School of Public Policy and internationally recognised expert in higher-education governance. She accepted the presidency, she has said, precisely because of the name — not in spite of it. Her inaugural address, "On the Power of Owning Your Name," has been downloaded 2.4 million times.
Prof. James R. Thornton
Provost & Chief Academic Officer
Distinguished mathematician and long-serving champion of interdisciplinary research programmes. Prof. Thornton oversees all twelve schools and has presided over the largest expansion of African American faculty representation in the Institute's history.
Dr. Mei-Ling Chen
Vice-President, Research
Pioneer in biomedical engineering with over 200 peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Chen oversees $1.2 billion in annual research expenditure and has expanded the Institute's research partnerships across Africa, the Caribbean, and the American South.
Marcus T. Webb
Chief Financial Officer
Former managing director at a leading investment bank, Marcus joined NI to direct its endowment strategy and financial aid expansion. He notes that explaining the Institute's name to Wall Street counterparties is "an efficient filter for the kind of people we want to do business with."
Dr. Amara N. Osei
Dean of Students
A first-generation NI graduate herself, Dr. Osei returned to lead student affairs after a distinguished career in higher-education equity research. She is the first African American woman to hold the role and has described the appointment as "coming full circle — loudly."
Patricia L. Drummond
General Counsel
Patricia leads the Institute's legal affairs with a specialisation in civil rights, intellectual property, and higher-education law. She has successfully defended the Institute's admissions preferences in three federal challenges. She keeps the rulings framed in her office.
Board of Overseers
The Board of Overseers provides strategic oversight and fiduciary governance for the Institute. Its 42 members are drawn from industry, government, academia, and civil society, with a majority identifying as people of colour — a composition that is, the Board notes, entirely intentional and entirely non-negotiable.
Board members serve five-year terms and are elected by the alumni body. Every prospective Board member is required to read the founding charter — authored by Dr. James Ellington Carter in 2020 — in full before their first meeting. Most report that the experience is clarifying.
Contact the Office of the President