Ruth J. Simmons is an American academic administrator and scholar. She was born on July 3, 1945, in Grapeland, Texas. Simmons is particularly notable for her significant contributions to higher education and for her achievements as the first African American woman to serve as president of an Ivy League institution, Brown University, from 2001 to 2012. Before her tenure at Brown, she served as president of Smith College from 1995 to 2001, where she was also the first African American woman to head a Seven Sisters college. Her career is marked by a focus on promoting diversity and inclusion within the academic community, as well as advocating for liberal arts education. Simmons has earned recognition for her leadership and has been awarded numerous honors, including a Fulbright Fellowship. After her retirement from Brown, she returned to academia when she was named as president of Prairie View A&M University in Texas, a historically black university, where she continues to influence higher education and mentoring young leaders.