Dr. Walter M. Kimbrough to be fourth speaker
in Leadership Development series

Jan. 15, 2007-- Dr. Walter M. Kimbrough, 12th president of Philander Smith College in Little Rock, will be the fourth featured speaker in ASU’s Leadership Development series. He will speak at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 25, in the Student Union Auditorium.

The Leadership Development series is co-sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs, the Office of Diversity Initiatives, and the Office of Multicultural Affairs. The National Pan-Hellenic Council is a co-sponsor of the lecture.

At 39 years of age, Dr. Kimbrough is the first college president from the hip-hop generation. He is the youngest president of an historically black college or university in the nation and one of the youngest college presidents in the nation. Prior to coming to Philander Smith, Dr. Kimbrough served in administrative capacities at Albany State University, Old Dominion University, Georgia State University, and Emory University.

A graduate of Benjamin E. Mays High School in Atlanta and the Academy of Mathematics, Science, and Technology, Dr. Kimbrough was salutatorian and student body president. He earned a bachelor of science in agriculture degree in biology from the University of Georgia in 1989. He earned a master of science degree in college student personnel services from Miami University, Ohio, in 1991, and he earned the doctor of philosophy degree in higher education from Georgia State University in 1996. 

Dr. Kimbrough has forged a national reputation as an expert on historically black fraternities and sororities, and he has given over 350 presentations on black Greek life at numerous campuses and conferences. He is the author of the book, “Black Greek 101: The Culture, Customs, and Challenges of Black Fraternities and Sororities.” After five months, the book was an Essence Magazine top 10 best seller and is currently in its sixth printing.

Dr. Kimbrough’s own fraternity experience led to his interest in black Greek life. He was the Alpha Phi Alpha Brother of the Year for the Southern region during the 1987-88 academic year. He is also a member of the Association of Fraternity Advisors, which named him New Professional of the Year in 1994.

Among his many awards, in 2005, Dr. Kimbrough was named to the American Council on Education’s Center for Advancement of Racial and Ethnic Equity. He was also selected as a 2001 Nissan-ETS HBCU Fellow. The Arkansas Times named him one of the people who made a difference in Arkansas in 2005, and PowerPlay Magazine named him as one of the 25 influential African Americans in Arkansas in 2006. Dr. Kimbrough is currently a member of the board of directors for the Greater Little Rock Chamber of Commerce and the Heart of Arkansas United Way.          

Dr. Kimbrough is married to Adria Nobles Kimbrough, an associate with the Cross, Gunter, Witherspoon & Galchus law firm in Little Rock. They have an infant daughter, Lydia Nicole. He is the son of Rev. Walter L. Kimbrough, pastor of Cascade United Methodist Church in Atlanta, and Marjorie L. Kimbrough, author and lecturer. He has one brother, Wayne Kimbrough. For more information on Dr. Kimbrough’s lecture, contact the Tribal Leadership Center at 972-2055.   

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