
Mary Schmidt Campbell
President of Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia
Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell, A leader in education, the arts, and the public sector for nearly 40 years, Mary Schmidt Campbell, Ph.D., began her tenure as the 10th president of Spelman College Aug. 1, 2015. Prior to being appointed president, Dr. Campbell was dean emerita of Tisch School of the Arts at New York University…
Categories :
Full Bio
Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell, A leader in education, the arts, and the public sector for nearly 40 years, Mary Schmidt Campbell, Ph.D., began her tenure as the 10th president of Spelman College Aug. 1, 2015.
Prior to being appointed president, Dr. Campbell was dean emerita of Tisch School of the Arts at New York University and university professor in the Department of Art and Public Policy. In her over two decades as dean, Tisch vaulted to the top echelon of university art schools. While at Tisch, she invented new fields of study, fostered collaboration between art and technology, and increased the diversity of both the faculty and the student body.
Early in her career, Dr. Campbell led the Studio Museum in Harlem at a time when Harlem was in decline and the city of New York was on the verge of bankruptcy. Under her leadership, the museum was transformed from a rented loft into the country’s first accredited Black fine arts museum with a permanent collection, major publications, exhibitions and artists-in-residence programs.
Prior to joining Tisch in 1991, Dr. Campbell served as New York City’s cultural affairs commissioner under two mayors and was responsible for the city’s cultural policy, as well as the capital and operational development of major cultural institutions. In 2009, Dr. Campbell was appointed by President Barack Obama to be the vice chair of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, a non-partisan advisory committee to the President of the United States on cultural matters. Throughout her tenure as vice chair, Dr. Campbell took an active role in re-affirming the arts as one of the ingredients essential to effective public school education.
A well-known speaker, Dr. Campbell lectures widely across the country and around the world and has authored many papers and articles on a range of subjects including African-American art, urban cultural policy issues, leadership and arts in education. She is co-editor of Artistic Citizenship: A Public Voice for the Arts (New York: Routledge, 2006) and co-author of Harlem Renaissance: Art of Black America (New York: Harry N. Abrams Inc., 1987) and Memory and Metaphor: The Art of Romare Bearden, 1940–1987 (New York: Oxford University Press and The Studio Museum in Harlem, 1991). She is completing a book on Romare Bearden for Oxford University Press.
Dr. Campbell holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Swarthmore College, where she also served for 12 years on the board of managers. She holds a master’s degree in art history from Syracuse University, and a doctorate in humanities, also from Syracuse. Dr. Campbell holds honorary degrees from The College of New Rochelle, Colgate University, City University of New York, Pace University, Maryland Institute College of Art and Swarthmore College; and is the recipient of numerous awards and honors. She is currently a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and sits on the board of The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
Dr. Campbell is married to Dr. George Campbell Jr., a physicist and president emeritus of The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art; they are the parents of three sons and have six grandchildren.
Testimonials
Ernie was perfect for our Elders Conference at Little River Casino Resort in Manistee, Michigan. We will definitely be using PDA again!

LITTLE RIVER BAND OF OTTAWA INDIANS
Our speaker was great and the crowd enjoyed her! She was very engaging. Thank you again PDA for the great list of suggestions!

MEDTRONIC
Everything went great! and our speaker was wonderful! Thank you so much for all your help PDA! Looking forward to the next one.

UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI – KANSAS CITY
I hope that this message finds you well. We had a phenomenal time with Atsuko this past Thursday. We wanted to just let you know how amazing she was. All those that were in attendance thoroughly enjoyed her and had nothing but amazing things to say about her. Thank you for working with us to make sure this happened!

BAYLOR UNIVERSITY CAMPUS
We had a fantastic day with Inge! She was very engaging with all those that attended. Her personal stories about the holocaust were very special and we were moved that she was willing to share them with everyone. Thank you again, PDA for all your hard work and dedication to make this program such a success!

SALT LAKE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Dear PDA Group, Thank you so much for your hard work in scheduling our speaker! From the moment we reached out to you the first time, you worked with us on all details and logistics and kept us up-to-date on the progress. Thank you for all your hard work on making our event such a success! We couldn't have done it without you and your team!

SAP COMPANY
Thank you again, Dr. Kimbrough, for a great presentation, our attendees are still talking about it!

CAMPUS LABS
Dr. Henry Lee's presentation was entertaining, insightful and wise. I, and everyone at Pfizer, especially appreciate the remarks you directed about following your passion and preparing yourself to excel. Thank you, everyone, at PDA for helping to make this happen!

PFIZER
The event was successful! I received many messages expressing how awesome, outstanding and inspiring Ms. Webb-Christburg's speech was."

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. MEMORIAL BREAKFAST, BOSTON, MLK SPEAKER
Everything went well. Atsuko was very easy to work with and the students enjoyed her performance! Thank you again for your recommendation and I hope to work with you again in the future!

CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
Dr. Novello left this morning after a very successful event on our campus! Thank you PDA Group for your help from the first phone to the last you were with us every step of the way.

GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY
Jordan Carlos was very very entertaining! A majority of students who answered the event survey indicated they really enjoyed Jordan and definitely will bring him back!

WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY
On behalf of myself and my organization Entertainment Unlimited the Campus Programming Board of Ferris State University, we thank you PDA and Dan for a successful event!! Dan was magnificent! Students really enjoyed the presentation. I know I did. Can't wait to bring in more programs with PDA Group.

FERRIS STATE UNIVERSITY
It was a great pleasure to work with PDA Group! The communication was always prompt, friendly and helpful. We loved the speakers and events we booked through Mr. Peter Walker (PDA Group).

WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
Thank you, Peter, for all your help, you'll be happy to know that the event went incredibly well! Aneesa Ferreira was by far one of the best speakers we've ever had!

FURMAN UNIVERSITY
Topics
Cultural Diversity and the Arts
A Conversation With Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell
Videos
President-elect Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell
Books
News
Testimonials
GET IDEAS

1 HOUR OR LESS