Office of the President

The Dillard University Board of Trustees appointed Dr. Monique Guillory, a native New Orleanian with over 30 years of executive-level experience in higher education, to serve as the university’s interim president effective July 1, 2024. Dr. Guillory joined Dillard as provost and chief academic and enrollment officer on April 1, 2024, and was serving as acting president since May of this year. Trustee Michael D. Jones, Dillard’s board chair stated that Dr. Guillory “comes highly recommended, including from our vice chair and alum, Rochester Anderson, who serves with her on the Board of Directors of St. Augustine High School in New Orleans.”

Much of Dr. Guillory’s career has been at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs). Her expertise includes academic program development, accreditation processes, STEM pipelines, and student success. Additionally, she has served on the cabinets of six university presidents.

Prior to coming to Dillard, Dr. Guillory was chief of staff and senior vice president for the University of the District of Columbia (UDC), where she led the development of the institutional strategic plan and provided leadership for UDC’s K-12 partnership with the Anacostia Feeder Pattern.

She has also been among the executive leadership team at Jackson State University, Xavier University of Louisiana, the Southern University System, and the University of the Virgin Islands. 

Dr. Guillory is a former member of the substantive change committee for the Middle States Commission for Higher Education (MSCHE), an experienced Middle States evaluator for regional accreditation, and previously served as member-elect for the Middle States Regional Council for the College Board.

She earned her Ph.D. in comparative literature and performance studies from New York University, where she was awarded the Arthur J. Schomburg Award for Excellence in the Humanities. She is the co-editor of “Soul: Black Power, Politics and Pleasure,” and is a former Mellon Fellow. Dr. Guillory is a fiercely proud New Orleanian who graduated from St. Mary’s Academy and Tulane University.