Interim President

President's Office, Education

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.

Professional Experience

Interim President, Colorado College (July 2024-present)

Professor of Education, Department of Education, Colorado College (July 2024-present)

Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff, Colorado College (January 2022-July 2024)

Advisory Board for the Matrix Center for the Advancement of Social Equity and Inclusion, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (October 2014-present)

David and Lucile Packard Professor, Department of Education, Colorado College (July 2020-present)

Associate Professor of Education, Department of Education, Colorado College (February 2019-present)

Director of the Crown Faculty Center, Colorado College (July 2021-January 2022)

Director of Graduate Studies & Chair of Education, Department of Education, Colorado College (January 2020-January 2022)

Interim Director of the Butler Center, Colorado College (February 2020-July 2020)

Associate Chair of Education, Department of Education, Colorado College (August 2017-December 2019)

Assistant Professor of Education, Department of Education, Colorado College (May 2013-February 2019)

Postdoctoral Fellow, Riley Scholar-in-Residence, Education, Colorado College (August 2011-May 2013)