Distinguished Educators Join Gallaudet’s Board of Trustees

Washington, DC– Dr. Glenn B. Anderson, chair of Gallaudet’s Board of Trustees, has announced the appointments of Dr. Johnetta B. Cole and Dr. David A. Stewart to the University’s board.

Cole has an international reputation for her scholarship in the field of cultural anthropology, as well as for her inspired leadership as president of Spelman College from 1987-1997. She is the first African American woman to have served as president of the historically black college since it was established in 1881.

Stewart is a prolific and highly respected author, a professor in the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Special Education at Michigan State University, and the director of MSU’s Deaf Education Program.

During Cole’s presidency, Spelman was named the top liberal arts college in the South by U.S. News and World Report, and successfully completed a $113.8 million capital campaign.

Presently, Cole is on the faculty of Atlanta’s Emory University. She is both a trustee of Gallaudet and of the Rockefeller Foundation, the recipient of numerous honorary degrees and awards, and a director on the corporate boards of Coca Cola Enterprises, Merck & Co., Home Depot, and the Management and Training Corporation.

Cole completed her undergraduate degree at Oberlin College and earned a Ph.D. in anthropology from Northwestern University. She has received honorary degrees from 41 colleges and universities.

Over the past 10 years, Stewart has written numerous articles and authored or co-authored six books, the most recent being The Signing Family: What Every Parent Should Know About Sign Communication, and Sign Language Interpreting: Exploring Its Art and Science.

Stewart’s research into the field of deafness education has earned him a host of commendations, including MSU’s prestigious Noted Scholar Award and the David Peikoff Chair of Deafness Studies at the University of Alberta.

A native of Canada, Stewart received his doctorate in special education from the University of British Columbia. He is also a sports enthusiast and has worked with the Canadian Deaf Sports Association’s World Games for the Deaf Organizing Committee and for the British Columbia Deaf Sports Federation. Currently he is a technical delegate to the Comite International des Sports des Sourds for ice hockey.

“The University is extremely fortunate to have Dr. Stewart and Dr. Cole on our Board of Trustees,” said Gallaudet President I. King Jordan.