Dr. Mary Dana Hinton is the 13th president of Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia, and President Emerita of the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota.  

An active and respected proponent of the liberal arts and inclusion, her leadership reflects a deep and abiding commitment to educational equity and the education of women. Her scholarship focuses on higher education leadership, strategic planning, the role of education in peace building, African American religious history, and inclusion in higher education. She is the author of The Commercial Church: Black Churches and the New Religious Marketplace in America and a frequent op-ed contributor across higher education publications.  

Dr. Hinton is a member of the board of directors for the American Association of Colleges and Universities (she is the immediate past chair), Interfaith Youth Core, Saint Mary’s School, and The Teagle Foundation. She is currently the vice-chair of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. Her new book, Leading from the Margins: College Leadership from Unexpected Places, will be published by Johns Hopkins University Press.