(CNN) — Claudine Gay will serve as Harvard's 30th president, the University announced Thursday.
Gay is the first person of color and the second woman to hold the role of Harvard University's president.
Born to Haitian immigrants, Gay received her Ph.D. in government from Harvard in 1998. She is also the recipient of the Toppan Prize for best dissertation in political science, according to the Harvard Gazette.
Since 2018, Gay served as Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
Gay is preceded by current Harvard President Lawrence S. Bacow, who announced in June that he would be stepping down from the university's top job after five years in office.
"I am humbled by the confidence that the governing boards have placed in me and by the prospect of succeeding President Bacow in leading this remarkable institution," Gay is quoted as saying in a report by the Harvard Gazette.
"It has been a privilege to work with Larry over the last five years. He has shown me that leadership isn't about one person. It's about all of us, moving forward together, and that's a lesson I take with me into this next journey."
Gay will take office in July 2023.
The-CNN-Wire
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