Brenda A. Allen, PhD, is a psychologist and the first female president of Lincoln University, the first historically black degree-granting academic institution in the United States. Her academic work centers the interactions between ethnicity, education and student achievement, particularly for African-American children.
Allen has also served as the provost and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs at Winston Salem State University (WSSU) as a tenured psychology professor. There, she established WSSU’s first doctoral programs, expanded undergraduate research funding, prioritized student academic advisement, and greatly increased university retention and graduation rates. Previously, she served as the associate provost and director of institutional diversity at Brown University. Allen has worked as a full professor at Smith College, as well as the chair of the African-American studies department, assistant to the president and director of institutional diversity, and special assistant to the Provost. Prior to her time at Smith College, she was a postdoctoral fellow at Yale University, postdoctoral associate in the department of psychology, and lecturer in psychology and African-American studies.
Allen holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Lincoln University, a master’s degree in experimental psychology from Howard University and a doctorate in developmental psychology from Howard University. She has previously served as a reviewer for the Psychological Bulletin.