About the President
Tomikia P. LeGrande, Ed.D.
President, Prairie View A&M University
Tomikia P. LeGrande, Ed.D., assumed the role of the ninth president of Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) on June 1, 2023, bringing with her a distinguished career in higher education leadership. Prior to joining PVAMU, she held key positions, including Vice President for Strategy, Enrollment Management, and Student Success at Virginia Commonwealth University; Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at the University of Houston–Downtown; and Associate Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management at Winston-Salem State University. Nationally recognized for her expertise in strategic planning, leadership, and advancing student access and success, Dr. LeGrande has consistently championed student-centered innovation.
Advancing Excellence at PVAMU
Since arriving at PVAMU, Dr. LeGrande has led transformative initiatives to elevate the student experience. Most notably, she launched PV Cares, a pioneering student success model—the first of its kind implemented at scale in the nation. This initiative institutionalizes a culture of care by assigning each undergraduate student a dedicated CARE team—comprising an academic advisor, financial counselor, and career coach—who support them throughout their academic journey at PVAMU.
She also established the Division of University Advancement, charged with strengthening the university’s philanthropic infrastructure, stakeholder engagement, and alumni relations. As part of this realignment, the Prairie View A&M Foundation was strategically repositioned under the Office of University Advancement to enhance coordination and accountability across all fundraising and development activities. This structural shift ensures greater alignment between institutional priorities and philanthropic investments, expanding PVAMU’s capacity to support students, faculty, and innovation.
In 2024, following an inclusive stakeholder engagement process, Dr. LeGrande launched PVAMU’s bold new strategic plan—Journey to Eminence: 2035. Anchored in the university’s commitment to access, impact, and academic excellence, the plan outlines a transformative vision for the next decade. Designed through a collaborative, data-informed process, Journey to Eminence sets forth ambitious goals across five strategic pillars: operational effectiveness, advancing teaching and academic relevance, student success, research and innovation, and partnerships and engagement. This strategic blueprint not only reflects institutional priorities while serving as a framework for action and accountability—it also embodies the leadership philosophy Dr. LeGrande brings to Prairie View A&M University.
Committed to creating opportunities for students to engage in “real-world” dialogue with renowned leaders who have shaped the culture and transformed industries, Dr. LeGrande launched the Presidential Executive-In-Residence program in the Fall of 2025. The Executive-In-Residence program is reflective of her goal to grow PVAMU as a national model for educational transformation, serving as a beacon for what’s possible when academia partners with purpose-driven professionals who have impacted their industries.
Throughout her career, Dr. LeGrande has focused on advancing access, opportunity, and affordability in higher education. As a results-driven leader, she is shaping the university’s efforts to reimagine student support and institutional responsiveness—deepening PVAMU’s commitment to accessibility and academic excellence in higher education.
The Art of Leadership
Building on this foundation, Dr. LeGrande approaches leadership as both a discipline and a catalyst—one that empowers institutions to transform vision into sustained impact. The art of leadership is Dr. LeGrande’s passion. She creates challenging yet supportive environments that embolden the pursuit of wide-ranging, future-focused goals. She embraces the development and cultivation of leadership at all levels of an organization and has documented success in securing funds to support programmatic expansion and change.
Across her tenure in various leadership roles, Dr. LeGrande has created “cultures of care,” utilizing her expertise in strategic planning, new technology implementation, change management, and policy and business process redesign. With a personalized approach, she engages across all levels of an organization—forming, deploying, and managing cross-functional teams that identify solutions to impediments affecting institutional progress.
As a first-generation, low-income, two-time graduate of HBCUs, Dr. LeGrande understands the transformative power of education in helping students overcome class, social, and cultural barriers. She believes that focused, effective leadership in higher education can amplify and accelerate social mobility—particularly for students from historically underserved and underrepresented communities.
Civic Engagement
Dr. LeGrande is a nationally recognized voice in higher education, frequently called upon to contribute to conversations surrounding access, equity, student success, and institutional transformation. She is a sought-after speaker, panelist, and facilitator at major national convenings, where she shares insights on enrollment strategy, inclusive leadership, and systemic reform.
She currently serves as a board member of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) Council of 1890 Universities and is an active member of the President’s Advisory Council for EAB. Regionally, she serves on the Greater Houston Partnership Board of Directors, where she contributes to shaping the region’s strategic direction in higher education, workforce development, and innovation.
Dr. LeGrande is also a dedicated member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., and The Links, Incorporated—two historic organizations committed to service, scholarship, and community uplift.
Awards and Recognition
Widely recognized for her visionary leadership and commitment to educational equity, Dr. LeGrande was honored with the 2021 Governor’s Champion for Change Award in the Commonwealth of Virginia for her bold initiatives to expand access and student success.
In 2024, she was named one of Houston’s Top 30 Influential Women, an honor celebrating her early impact on Prairie View A&M University and her growing influence in Texas higher education.
In 2025, Dr. LeGrande received the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s prestigious President’s Game ChangeHER Award, recognizing her transformative impact not only in the realm of athletics but also in advancing broader social change. The honor underscores her commitment to uplifting communities, challenging systemic barriers, and redefining the role of leadership in shaping equitable outcomes.
Her career continues to be distinguished by her ability to lead with clarity, compassion, and strategic foresight.
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