Board of Trustees Appoint Paulette R. Dillard 18th President 

Shaw University Board of Trustees has named Paulette R. Dillard the University’s 18th president.  Dr. Dillard has been serving as interim president since July of last year. She previously served as the University’s vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college of arts and sciences.

“Upon her appointment as interim president, we determined Dr. Dillard to be the ideal selection to lead this institution,” said Chairman of the Board of Trustees Joseph N. Bell, Jr. “We believe her performance to date has demonstrated that she is committed to the transformative education process and more than qualified to lead Shaw University into this next era of excellence.”

Dr. Dillard is a trained medical technologist certified by the American Society of Clinical Pathology and has over twenty-five years of experience working in the field of diagnostic laboratory medicine. She began her career at International Clinical Laboratories in Nashville, Tennessee. She went on to hold senior positions at SmithKline and Quest Diagnostics. She also has a rich teaching history having taught biology at various southeastern colleges and universities.

 “I am honored to be selected by the Board of Trustees to continue to lead this great University,” said Dillard. “I am thankful and committed to intentional leadership of Shaw University as we continue to grow as an institutional leader in the Raleigh community and globally abroad.”

A Mount Airy, North Carolina native, Dillard graduated from Barber-Scotia College in Concord, North Carolina. She holds a Master’s of Business Administration from Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee and a Master’s of Science in Biology from Tennessee State University. Dr. Dillard earned her Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Clark Atlanta University.

Dr. Dillard’s appointment was unanimously approved by Shaw’s Board of Trustees during a meeting on Saturday, September 8.