Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum

W. David Baird Distinguished Lecture Series

Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum: "Why Are All the Black Kids Still Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?  A Conversation with Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum"

Tuesday, February 6, 2018, Elkins Auditorium, 5:00 p.m.

Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, president emerita of Spelman College, is a clinical psychologist widely known for both her expertise on race relations and as a thought leader in higher education. Her thirteen years as the president of Spelman College (2002-2015) were marked by innovation and growth and her visionary leadership was recognized in 2013 with the Carnegie Academic Leadership Award. The author of several books including the best-selling "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?" and Other Conversations About Race (now in a new 2017 20th anniversary edition) and Can We Talk About Race? and Other Conversations in an Era of School Resegregation (2007), Tatum is a sought-after speaker on the topic of racial identity development, the impact of race in the classroom, strategies for creating inclusive campus environments, and higher education leadership. In 2005 Dr. Tatum was awarded the prestigious Brock International Prize in Education for her innovative leadership in the field. A Fellow of the American Psychological Association, she was the 2014 recipient of the APA Award for Outstanding Lifetime Contributions to Psychology.

A civic leader in the Atlanta community, Dr. Tatum is engaged in educational initiatives designed to expand educational opportunity for underserved students and their families, as well as to connect communities across lines of difference. Locally she serves on the governing boards of the Westside Future Fund, Achieve Atlanta, and the Woodruff Arts Center, as well as the Georgia Power Board of Directors. Her national service includes her membership on the boards of Teach for America, Smith College, the Educational Testing Service, and TIAA Charitable.

She holds a BA degree in psychology from Wesleyan University, and MA and PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Michigan as well as an MA in Religious Studies from Hartford Seminary. Over the course of her career, she has served as a faculty member at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Westfield State University, and Mount Holyoke College. Prior to her 2002 appointment as president of Spelman, she served as dean and acting president at Mount Holyoke College. In Spring 2017 she was the Mimi and Peter E. Haas Distinguished Visitor at Stanford University.