The First Black President of Mills College

Alecia A. DeCoudreaux was named the 13th president of Mills College in Oakland, California. When she takes office this summer she will be the first African American to lead the women’s college. Mills College has some 900 undergraduate students, about 9 percent of whom are black.

DeCoudreaux is currently vice president and deputy general counsel of Eli Lilly & Company, a global pharmaceutical firm. She also serves as chair of the board of trustees of Wellesley College.

DeCoudreaux is a 1976 graduate of Wellesley College and holds a law degree from Indiana University.

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