WATERVILLE, MAINE, March 2026 — Thomas College is proud to announce that Dr. Joyce Taylor Gibson has been named to its Board of Trustees. Gibson, recently retired, spent more than three decades in higher education administration with a focus on student belonging and access to education.
“Dr. Gibson brings a wealth of higher education experience and expertise to the Thomas Board of Trustees,” said President Uzzi. “She leads from a strong sense of purpose; she is always focused on students; and she understands every aspect of the academic enterprise.”
Dr. Gibson’s career in higher education has focused on issues of organizational development, equity, leadership development, and community partnerships. Gibson recently retired from serving as Interim Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs at Roxbury Community College in Boston for almost three years. Her tenure in higher education has encompassed administrative roles in academic and student affairs, in public and private institutions for over 30 years, with social justice as her lens. She is known as a fair and tenacious problem-solver who is open to learning in every situation. Though she prefers administration to teaching, she earned tenure as an Associate Professor of Education in the Graduate School of Education at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell and there served as Associate Vice Chancellor responsible for Enrollment Management and Academic Services. She served nine years as Dean of the Lewiston Auburn College at the University of Southern Maine, where she also taught online in the Department of Leadership Studies and continued her research on women’s leadership.
Dr. Gibson earned her PhD in Educational Administration from the University of Florida, her MA in Rehabilitation Counseling from George Washington University, and her BS in Psychology from Howard University. She is an avid gardener and book lover.
“I am excited and honored to join the Thomas College Board of Trustees,” said Gibson. “It will be an honor to learn and work with the leadership team that sustains Thomas College’s legacy and provides direction for its future.”