Mary Dana Hinton, Ph.D. is the 13th president of Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia, and president emerita of the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota. A nationally recognized champion of the liberal arts and women’s education, her leadership is defined by an unwavering commitment to inclusion, access, and academic excellence.
Hinton earned her Ph.D. in religion and religious education with high honors from Fordham University, an M.A. in clinical child psychology from the University of Kansas, and a B.A. in psychology from Williams College. She has received the Williams College Bicentennial Medal and honorary doctorates from Misericordia University, the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, and Mount Saint Mary’s University. In 2021, she was elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.
An accomplished scholar and thought leader, Hinton’s work focuses on higher education leadership, strategic planning, and access. She is the author of Leading from the Margins: College Leadership from Unexpected Places (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2024) and The Commercial Church: Black Churches and the New Religious Marketplace in America, with her forthcoming book Where Love Leads: Leadership, Love, and the Liberal Arts to be published by University of Virginia Press in 2026. Her writing appears widely in leading higher education publications.
Hinton currently serves as past chair of the Board of Directors for the (NAICU). She also holds board positions with the , , the , and in Los Angeles.
Hinton is a frequent speaker across the U.S. and internationally on issues related to the liberal arts and inclusive excellence. She is a faculty member in the  program and the . 
She is the author of several books, including (2024) and the forthcoming Where Love Leads: Leadership, Love, and the Liberal Arts, which will be published by University of Virginia Press in 2026.