Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis has earned, for the second time in history, the distinct honor of serving as the first female president of a collegiate institution in the United States. In June 2017, Dr. Artis was unanimously appointed by the Board of Trustees as the 14th President of Benedict College. She is the first female president in the 147-year history of the college, which was founded by a woman, Bathsheba Benedict, in 1870. Since Dr. Artis' arrival, she has led an unprecedented transformation of the institution that has resulted in national recognition, including the receipt of the 2019 ACE Fidelity Institutional Transformation Award and the 2019 HBCU of the Year Award. 

Dr. Artis comes to Benedict College from Florida Memorial University in Miami, where she served for four years as the 13th president and the first female president in that university's 138-year history. Among her many achievements were the significant technology enhancements on campus, new facility construction and innovative partnerships, as well as increased national exposure and resource development for the institution in the areas of STEM, cybersecurity and social justice. 

Dr. Artis is a graduate of Vanderbilt University, where she earned a doctorate in Higher Education Leadership and Policy. She also holds a juris doctorate from West Virginia University College of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from sister HBCU West Virginia State University.

A strong community activist, Dr. Artis currently serves as co-chair for the United Way of the Midlands Campaign and as a volunteer for multiple community boards and non-profit organizations.