Johnnetta Betsch Cole was the first African American woman to serve as president of Spelman College. She was born in Jacksonville, Florida, where her family had long been established as leaders of the Black community. She started college early - at 15, she started Fisk University, finishing her undergraduate degree at Oberlin College. She finished her advanced degrees in anthropology at Northwestern University.
- She is a descendant of Florida's first black millionaire Abraham Lincoln Lewis. He and his colleagues founded the very first insurance company in the state of Florida - not just the first black insurance company, the first one at ALL.
- In 1987 she made history by becoming the first African-American woman to serve as President of Spelman College.
- At her inauguration, Bill and Camille Cosby gifted $20 million to the College, the largest single gift from individuals to any historically Black college or university.