VOORHEES - Key Persons

Dr. Ronnie Hopkins - President

Job Titles:

Ex - Officio Member
President

Dr. Ronnie Hopkins is the tenth President of Voorhees University.

Elizabeth Evelyn Wright

Job Titles:

Founder of Tuskegee Institute
Our Founder

first African American woman to establish the foundation for an HBCU in 1897 Elizabeth Evelyn Wright (1872-1906) was an African-American educator, social reformer, and founder of Voorhees College in Denmark, South Carolina. She was born on April 3, 1872, in Talbotton, Georgia, during a time of racial segregation and limited educational opportunities for African Americans. Wright was raised in poverty but was determined to receive an education. At the age of 16, she left home and traveled to Tuskegee, Alabama, where she enrolled at the Tuskegee Institute. She worked as a domestic servant to support herself while pursuing her studies. Inspired by the educational philosophy of Booker T. Washington, the founder of Tuskegee Institute, Wright believed in the transformative power of education for African Americans. After completing her studies at Tuskegee, she returned to South Carolina and started teaching at the Macedonia School in Denmark. Realizing the need for higher education opportunities for African Americans in the region, Wright embarked on a mission to establish a college. She started by raising funds and gathering support from local communities, churches, and philanthropists. In 1897, she founded Denmark Industrial School, which later became known as Voorhees Industrial School and eventually Voorhees College.