Angel Cabrera is the 12th president of the Georgia Institute of Technology, one of America’s leading research universities, serving 53,000 students and conducting nearly $1.4 billion in annual sponsored research. Since Cabrera’s arrival in 2019, enrollment grew to an all-time high, applications broke institute and state levels, and the undergraduate program became among the four most-selective public universities in the United States. Georgia Tech’s unprecedented growth stems from a 10-year strategic plan that was developed under Cabrera’s leadership with the participation of more than 5,700 members of the Institute community and adopted in November 2020. In the plan, titled “Progress and Service for All,” Georgia Tech pledges to amplify its impact and lead by example in a mission to develop leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. 

Dr. Kevin James is president of Morris Brown College, a historical Black college in Atlanta. Under his leadership, the college regained accreditation after a nearly 20-year hiatus, becoming the first HBCU to achieve such a feat. Driven by a commitment to Morris Brown’s legacy, he initiated the #TheHardReset campaign, successfully restoring the institution to compliance and recognition by the U.S. Department of Education. With a career spanning over 23 years as an educator, administrator, executive business leader, and motivational speaker, James brings a wealth of experience to his role as the chief executive officer of the college. He has been responsible for stabilizing finances, expanding academic offerings, increasing fundraising, launching a new five-year strategic plan, and achieving record-breaking enrollment in the past two decades.

Nicolle Parsons-Pollard, Ph.D. was appointed by Georgia State University President M. Brian Blake as Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs effective Feb. 1, 2023. As Provost, Dr. Parsons-Pollard serves as the university’s chief academic officer. Her portfolio includes the development and implementation of the university’s academic programs and policies; supervision of deans and associate provosts; and direction for international initiatives and study abroad, graduate policy and programming, institutional effectiveness (institutional research and reporting), strategic planning, and assessment of learning outcomes and academic programs. Additionally, she directs activities in the recruitment, hiring, retention and promotion processes for faculty positions.

Rachel A. Bowser, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College at Agnes Scott College, oversees the academic program, the faculty and academic support services. Most recently, she was associate provost for strategic initiatives and professor of English at Georgia Gwinnett College. She received her BA from Grove City College, her MA from West Virginia University and PhD from Emory University, all in English.

The panel will be moderated by David J. Neal, executive vice president of Georgia-Pacific’s Building Products business. Before being named executive vice president, David served as president of the Gypsum business from 2022 to 2025. He has held a variety of roles within Building Products since 1997, when he joined Georgia-Pacific as a quality resource manager. He actively volunteers with Habitat for Humanity in Atlanta and serves on the External Advisory Board for the College of Engineering at Georgia Tech, as well as the Board of Directors for the High Museum of Art. Additionally, David is a member of Leadership Atlanta, one of the nation’s oldest community leadership programs. He is a graduate of Vanderbilt University.