Harvard Faculty Member Named Wellesley's 1st Black President

Wellesley College has named a Harvard Medical School faculty member as its next president.

Dr. Paula Johnson will also be Wellesley's first black president.

The Massachusetts women's college of 2,400 students announced the decision Thursday after an eight-month search to replace President H. Kim Bottomly, who is stepping down in the summer.

Johnson is on Harvard's faculty and serves as chief of the Division of Women's Health at the medical school and Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital. The chair of Wellesley's board of trustees said in a statement that Johnson has spent her career improving the health and lives of women.

Johnson says in the statement that she sees the role as a capstone to her career. She will be Wellesley's 14th president.