Dr. Barbara Hatton

HATTON, Barbara Rose

Dr. Barbara R. Hatton, Pioneering Educator and Former HBCU President, dies at 84.

Dr. Barbara Rose Hatton, nationally respected academic administrator, scholar, and educational innovator, passed away on Monday, November 3, 2025, in Boston, MA. She was 84.

The eldest child of William H. and Katye Tucker Hatton, she was born in LaGrange, Georgia, and raised in Atlanta Public Schools. Dr. Hatton's calling to education began early. At age 14, during her sophomore year, Mary McLeod Bethune visited her class in what became a defining moment. Bethune's presence — alongside the steady influence of Dr. Hatton's father, a lifelong educator — shaped her belief in education as a vehicle for leadership, service, and social transformation.

Guided throughout her life by the principles of Preparation, Presentation, and Perspicacity, Dr. Hatton was the valedictorian of her H. M. Turner High School graduating class of 1958, earned her B.S. from Howard University, her M.A. from Atlanta University, and both an M.E.A. and Ph.D. from Stanford University, where she later became the first African American woman assistant professor of administration and policy analysis in the School of Education.

Her leadership roles included Dean, School of Education, at Atlanta University (now Clark Atlanta), at Tuskegee University, and Deputy Director of the Education and Culture Program at the Ford Foundation, where she advanced national initiatives addressing teacher shortages and strengthening community-based schooling.

In 1992, she became the first woman President of South Carolina State University. From 1997 to 2005, as President of Knoxville College, she designed the pioneering debt-free "work college" model, enabling students to earn their education through structured internships.

Her honors included the ROSE Award, the Drum Major for Justice Award, & recognitions by the Navajo Nation & National Defense Education Act Fellow. She was a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

She is survived by her beloved daughter, Kera M. Washington (Cassandra Extavour); two grandchildren, Kaia and Kyros; son-through-love, Kenny Washington (Mavis Washington); niece, Camille Hughes; grandnieces, nephews and cousins; including, Calvin Carlisle; and friends, former students, and mentees who carry her legacy. Dr. Hatton was preceded in death by her two sisters, Kathryn Parham and M. Elaine Hughes. A Celebration of Life will be held at Murray Brothers Funeral Home; arrangements are forthcoming and will be announced on their website, and hers, www.barbarahatton.com.