By Kylie Lancaster
Debbie Ricker, who had been serving as the interim president, was appointed as Hood College’s 12th serving president, the school announched on March 17.
Ricker was announced as the interim president on April 30, 2024, following President Chapdelaine’s decision to step down from her role at Hood and become the 12th president at Connecticut College.
The presidential search began in April 2024 and ended with a unanimous vote at the annual March Board of Trustees meeting to appoint Ricker as Hood’s president.
“I am so proud to represent Hood College and am honored by the confidence placed in me to lead us forward,” Ricker said. Ricker has been a member of the Hood community for nine years now, joining the community as provost and vice president of academic affairs in 2016.
Prior to joining the Hood College community, Ricker received a bachelor’s degree from Mars Hill University, a master’s degree from Eastern Tennessee University and a Ph.D. from John Hopkins University. She was also part of the Council of Independent Colleges Executive Leadership Academy.
Hood said she is passionate about the college’s community. She said she loves the people, mission, values and partnerships that fortify the student experience at Hood College.
Ricker assumes the presidency at a difficult time. Colleges nationwide are attempting to navigate a series of executive ordrs curtainling diversity, equity and inclusivity programs. In Maryland, state legislators have discussed cutting grants to private colleges. Meanwhile, Hood is facing a $3.8 million budget shortfall.
Ricker said she is ready to take on the role as president of the college and face the challenges that may come with it. She is also confident in the leadership that works with her in decision making.
“Hood is fortunate to have an incredibly talented senior team, as well as strong leadership for faculty, staff and students, both undergraduate and graduate,” Ricker said. “This council of leaders is one that I lean on to help inform my decisions, and I’ll continue to do that.”
Ricker’s passion for Hood College is deeply rooted within the core values of the institution. Hope, one of the four fundamental pillars at the college, is something Ricker says she believes defines our community.
“We often hear that ‘hope isn’t a strategy,'” Ricker says: “It is, however, a confident expectation that things can and will change. I see that confidence in our students as they progress from first-year students to the commencement stage. I’ve seen that confidence in the work of our faculty and staff as they continuously improve the ways in which we serve and support our students. Hope motivates us to do the work necessary to make the seemingly impossible possible. And, at Hood, I believe anything is possible.”
Ricker will assume her role as president of Hood College on April 1, 2025.
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