Mississippi native and federal agency leader Dr. Corey Wiggins has been named the 15th president of Tougaloo College in Jackson.
The college’s board of trustees announced Friday that it has appointed Wiggins to the post, with his term beginning July 1. Wiggins will replace Dr. Carmen Walters, who resigned in 2023. Dr. Donzell Lee has served as interim president in an extended role and will hold that title until the college’s new leader assumes office.
“It is an honor to be selected as the next president of Tougaloo College, an institution with a profound legacy of academic excellence and social transformation,” Wiggins said. “I look forward to working collaboratively with the Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, students, alumni, and the broader Tougaloo community to advance the College’s mission and strengthen its future.”
Wiggins currently serves as co-chair of the Delta Regional Authority, an independent federal agency that supports economic development across 255 counties and parishes in eight states. A presidential appointee confirmed unanimously by the U.S. Senate, Wiggins oversees initiatives that have directed more than $300 million in infrastructure, workforce development, and small business investments across the region.
Prior to his federal appointment, Wiggins was the executive director of the Mississippi State Conference NAACP, where he led statewide campaigns focused on civic engagement and criminal justice reform, tripled the organization’s revenue, and mobilized more than 11,000 volunteers statewide.
He previously served as Senior Vice President at HOPE (Hope Enterprise Corporation, Hope Credit Union, and Hope Policy Institute), and has held faculty positions at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson State University, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he taught courses on health policy, strategic management, and the social determinants of health.
A native of Hazlehurst, Wiggins is a graduate of Alcorn State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in biology, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he earned both a Master of Science in public health and a Doctor of Philosophy in health promotion. He also holds a certificate in nonprofit leadership from Boston College and has completed fellowships with the Kaiser Family Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
“Dr. Corey Wiggins is a visionary leader whose commitment to academic excellence, student success, and institutional integrity aligns deeply with the historic mission of Tougaloo College,” said Dr. Blondean Y. Davis, chair of the Tougaloo College Board of Trustees. “After a rigorous national search, the Board is confident that Dr. Wiggins possesses the leadership, experience, and passion necessary to guide Tougaloo into its next chapter of growth and impact.”
Founded in 1869, Tougaloo College is one of Mississippi’s historically Black colleges and boasts playing a pivotal role in the civil rights movement, serving as a meeting place and organizing center for activists.