Ruth J. Simmons, Ph.D., a member since 2007, was sworn in as the 18th president of Brown University in 2001. A French professor before entering university administration, she also holds an appointment as a professor of comparative literature and of Africana Studies. She graduated with a B.A. degree from Dillard University in New Orleans and earned her Ph.D. in romance languages and literature at Harvard. She has served in various administrative roles at the University of Southern California, Princeton University, and Spelman College before being appointed as president of Smith College in 1995. She is the recipient of many honors such as the 2001 President's Award from the United Negro College Fund, the 2002 Fulbright Lifetime Achievement Medal, and the 2004 Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Medal, and honorary degrees from numerous universities and colleges. She serves on the Board of Texas Instruments and The Goldman Sachs Group.