President Bio

Paulette R. Dillard, Ph.D.

President and CEO

Dr. Paulette R. Dillard is the 18^th President of Shaw University, appointed by the Board of Trustees in 2018 after serving as Interim President and Vice President for Academic Affairs. During her tenure at Shaw University, she has also served as the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Department Chair for Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and as an Associate Professor of Biology. She is an accomplished scientist, educator, and an astute businesswoman.

Dr. Dillard’s commitment and dedication to service and education are inspiring for young people seeking to achieve their full potential, especially young women. From a young age, she was inspired to lead, believing that education and service have the power to transform lives. As a three-time graduate of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, she champions the pivotal role they play in reshaping academic landscapes and communities. Her achievements are a testament to her firm belief in the profound connections between academic institutions and their surrounding communities.

Under Dillard’s leadership, a study was commissioned in 2019 to identify the best path forward for Shaw University. As a result of the study’s recommendations, the historic Raleigh campus was approved in 2023 for rezoning and redevelopment, and funding was secured to renovate key historic campus buildings. In May 2024, the University moved toward developing The ShawU District to take advantage of its prime location. Dr. Dillard fosters innovation and excellence, which is marked by a pursuit to enhance faculty, programs, and opportunities for students through thoughtful and intentional community development and engagement. Her vision and success thread her priorities of transforming lives through education, particularly for underserved populations. A woman of all seasons with leadership and business savvy, she is sought after to speak at conferences, civic, and community events. In 2019, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority named her Woman of the Year. Dillard was recognized by the National Council of Negro Women, Inc. in 2021 and received the Bethune-Height Distinguished Educator Award. She was also recognized in the same year by the Friends of the City of Raleigh as a Raleigh Woman of Change. In 2023, WRAL-TV nominated Dillard as Woman of the Year.

As a catalyst for change in higher education and beyond, Dr. Dillard’s strategic insight is marked by her service on national and local boards. Her directorships include the Board Chair of the Downtown Raleigh Alliance, Board Chair elect of the North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities, and the UNCF Institutional Board and Governance Committee. She also serves as Vice Chair of the CIAA Board of Directors and is a member of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Committee of the NCAA. Dr. Dillard has a longstanding engagement with the surrounding communities through her board affiliations with the Dorothea Dix Park Conservancy.

A native of Mount Airy, North Carolina, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology at Barber Scotia College in Concord, North Carolina and earned a Master of Science degree in biology from Tennessee State University.  She went on to earn an MBA from the Jack Massey School of Business at Belmont University and a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia.  With over 25 years of experience in the field of clinical diagnostic medicine, she quickly ascended in this area as one of only a few female senior executives and women of color to reach the rank of Vice President and General Manager.  President Dillard’s experience as an avid researcher shaped the focus of her work on prostate cancer and its disparate impact on men of African descent in the United States and Jamaica. She also served as Coordinator of undergraduate research infrastructure, and Co-Director of the academic enrichment programs for the National Institutes of Health Research Infrastructure in Minority Institutions (RIMI) project. Dr. Dillard continues to preserve Shaw University’s legacy with an eye toward the future.