Adena Williams Loston
Adena Williams Loston (born 1952 in Mississippi) is an educator who has served as the 14th president of St. Philip’s College since March 1, 2007.
She earned a B.S. from Alcorn State University in 1973 and an M.Ed. (1974) and Ph.D. (1979) from Bowling Green State University. She also completed the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard University in 1996.
Loston has taught and held leadership roles at many colleges. She was an associate professor at Georgia State University, an instructor at Arkansas State University and Houston Community College, and an adjunct at the University of Houston–Downtown and Texas Southern University. She later served as Dean of Vocational Education, Budgets and Facilities, and Dean of Professional Programs at Santa Monica College; Executive Dean/Provost in the El Paso Community College District; and President of San Jacinto College South, where she was the district’s second president and its first African‑American president.
She then worked with NASA, directing education and serving as Chief Education Officer at NASA Headquarters, after previously being the associate administrator for education and the NASA Administrator’s senior education advisor.
On October 26, 2023, President Joe Biden appointed her as a Commissioner for the Presidential Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Black Americans.
Loston has received several awards for her work.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 07:10 (CET).