Dr. Cheryl Davenport Dozier President of Savannah State University

Cheryl D. Dozier was named the 13th president of Savannah State University on May 8, 2012, after serving one year as interim president and quickly instilling a culture of service, strength and unity across the Savannah State campus.  An experienced and highly regarded university-level professor, researcher, author and administrator known throughout the University System of Georgia for her intellect, charisma and leadership abilities, Dozier is firmly committed to advancing the legacy of academic excellence and community engagement set in place when SSU was founded in 1890.

Prior to taking the helm at Savannah State, Dozier served as associate provost and chief diversity officer for the Office of Institutional Diversity at the University of Georgia.  In that role — to which she was appointed in 2006 after four years as assistant vice president of academic affairs at the Gwinnett University Center — Dozier led UGA’s efforts to evaluate existing programs and develop new initiatives to support diversity and equity.  Her knowledge, interest and expertise in diversity and international and global issues also aided Dozier as director of the interdisciplinary Ghana Study Abroad Program at UGA, a position in which she collaborated with faculty at four Ghanaian universities for more than a decade. 

A sought-after public speaker recognized for her engaging and motivational style of delivery, Dozier earned her bachelor’s degree from Fairleigh-Dickinson University, her Master of Social Work degree from the Atlanta University School of Social Work (now Clark-Atlanta University) and her Doctor of Social Work degree from Hunter College at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.  She is an active member of numerous professional and civic organizations — including the board of the United Way of the Coastal Empire, Savannah Economic Development Authority, and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Council of Presidents — and president of the Georgia Association for Women in Higher Education. 

Dozier has dedicated her life to the betterment of children and all of humanity.  Married to South Carolina native Arthur Dozier II for more than 30 years, she enjoys spending time with family, especially her two grandsons.