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Dr. Manya Whitaker is Interim President of Colorado College. She assumed the presidency on July 1, 2024, and will serve in the interim role for two years. She previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff, serving as an extension of and principal aide to the President. In that role, she assisted the President in managing sensitive and confidential issues, oversaw a variety of cross-divisional and executive initiatives, and provided critical direction and leadership to optimize strategic priorities such as the college’s antiracism commitment.
Dr. Whitaker is also a Professor of Education at Colorado College, and prior to moving into administration, she taught classes on social and political issues in education. She is a developmental educational psychologist with expertise in adolescent identity formation and motivation. She has authored four books and more than 20 book chapters and articles focused on her research, including “Public School Equity: Educational Leadership for Justice,” “Schooling Multicultural Teachers: A Guide for Program Assessment and Professional Development,” “Learning from the Inside-Out: Child Development and School Choice,” and “Counternarratives from Women of Color Academics: Bravery, Vulnerability, and Resistance” (co-editor).
Over 13 years at Colorado College, her roles have also included Interim Director of the Butler Center, Director of the Crown Faculty Center, and Director of Graduate Studies and Chair of Education.
Dr. Whitaker received her doctorate in developmental psychology from Vanderbilt University and her B.A. in educational psychology from Dartmouth College. In addition to her position at Colorado College, she has worked as an independent educational consultant since 2009. She established Blueprint Educational Strategies in 2013, working with minoritized and marginalized families on educational advocacy and partnering with school districts and state departments of education to support teachers and administrators in delivering high quality experiences to all learners and their families.