About Yolanda W. Page:

Yolanda W. Page, Ph.D., is the eighth president of Stillman College, West Alabama's only four-year HBCU, a role she has held since July 2023. With more than 30 years of higher education experience, she brings transformational leadership focused on growth, innovation, and student success.

Under her leadership, Stillman has increased enrollment and fundraising, improved student retention, and earned designation as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense. Dr. Page has forged strategic partnerships with organizations including Google, the United Way of West Alabama, Getty Images, and SodexoMagic, and launched initiatives such as AI certification for students and the first charter school hosted by an Alabama HBCU. She has also helped bring major HBCU athletic tournaments and workforce and community programs to West Tuscaloosa.

Previously, Dr. Page served as Provost at Savannah State University and as Vice President of Academic Affairs at Dillard University, where she helped secure more than $40 million in grants, guided new graduate programs, and led successful accreditation efforts. She holds a Ph.D. in English Literature from Louisiana State University and serves on several boards, including the UNCF Board of Directors and the Tuscaloosa County Economic Development Authority. She is married to David D. Page and is the mother of two children, William and Brooke.

In this episode, Kevin and Yolanda W. Page discuss:

• Leadership challenges and opportunities in today’s higher education landscape
• The vital role of HBCUs in serving first-generation and first-in-family college students
• How resilient institutions navigate uncertainty, funding pressures, and change
• Creating flexible, non-linear pathways to student success beyond traditional timelines
• Leading with trust, accountability, and servant leadership

Key Takeaways:

• Resilient institutions are built on purpose, not circumstance. Organizations that endure through decades of change do so because their mission remains clear and deeply connected to the people they serve, even in seasons of uncertainty and disruption.
• Leadership in higher education requires seeing students as individuals, not timelines. When institutions recognize that each student’s path may be direct or indirect, access and persistence increase without lowering expectations or standards.
• Strong leadership depends on humility and ownership. Acknowledging mistakes, addressing gaps in information, and being willing to pivot builds trust within teams and models accountability across the organization.
• Sustainable impact comes from shared leadership. Inviting diverse perspectives into decision-making strengthens outcomes, reduces blind spots, and keeps institutions aligned with both their mission and community needs.

“You look for a diversity of personalities at the table with you. Because when you are thinking through a problem or a scenario, you want people who are going to see it from different angles, from different aspects of it.” – Yolanda W. Page

Connect with Yolanda W. Page:

Website: https://stillman.edu/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yolanda-w-page-7ab5a74b/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yolanda.w.page 

Connect with Kevin Neal:

Website: https://drkdneal.com 

Book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0C47RZDSS 

https://www.amazon.com/Guided-Greatness-Mentorship-Developing-professionals-ebook/dp/B0FGBH1VNS

Email: [email protected] 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachkd63