Dr. Lena Hill Dean of the College, Washington and Lee University

Lena Hill was appointed Dean of the College in 2018. She is a Professor of English and Africana Studies. She received her bachelor's from Howard University, her Ph.D. from Yale University, and completed postdoctoral work at Duke University. Dean Hill's scholarship and teaching focus on African American literature and visual culture, and she is known internationally as a scholar of Ralph Ellison. In addition to publishing numerous articles and essays, she has authored and co-edited three books.

As the Dean of the College, she has prioritized the recruitment and retention of diverse faculty, support and growth of interdisciplinary programs, and faculty mentoring and development. She is a passionate advocate for the liberal arts, sciences, and the humanities, and as the chief academic officer of the College, she is focused on working with faculty to deliver an academic experience to students that prepares them to flourish after graduating from W&L.

Dean Hill and her husband, Professor Michael Hill - a faculty member in Africana Studies at W&L - have two children: a 16-year-old daughter, Caitlyn, and a 12-year-old son, Michael Carl.