Soul Story Service – Wings Summer 2025
Long before he ever stepped into a university boardroom, Dr. Chris Gilmer learned the meaning of leadership on a red dirt road that led to nowhere—unless, of course, you counted faith, family and fields of cotton and corn as destinations. He was born and raised on a barely mapped stretch of land in rural Mississippi. It wasn’t even a town, just
a scattering of small farms, a handful of country churches, and the humble homestead of his paternal grandparents.
For Gilmer, his simple home and humble beginnings had everything he would ever need to understand leadership. “The good people who raised me taught me the essentials,” he said. “They had little formal education, but they knew how to tell the truth, to be brave, to give more than they took. They taught me I was as good as anybody— and better than nobody.”
The family farm provided subsistence. His grandfather worked a bulldozer in the timber industry to bring in a bit of cash, supplementing what the soil couldn’t provide. These weren’t just stories of poverty; they were lessons in perseverance, love,
and hope. They were the foundation for a life that spans journalism, literature, nonprofit management, and higher education, and now bring Gilmer to the presidency of Heritage University.
A LEGACY OF DETERMINATION
Gilmer’s story was shaped profoundly by his mother, who was born on the kitchen table of a sharecropper’s shack. Though she was the valedictorian of her high school, she did not get to accept the college scholarship she won. Poverty and family obligations pulled her dreams in another direction. But she never let go of learning. As she carried Gilmer, she read the great works of literature aloud.
“She was determined I would go where she could not,” he said. “And she made sure I knew the power of education.”
Another guiding force was his paternal grandfather—an unlettered man who never got past the first grade but was resolute that his grandson would graduate. Gilmer was the first in his family to cross the stage a college graduate, diploma in hand, a triumph shared by everyone who’d poured their hopes into him.
“When first-generation students walk across that stage,” he said, “their families are right there with them. They own those degrees, too. I may come from a different geography and culture than most of Heritage’s students, and I do not claim any life experience that is not my own. Still, I believe that we have a whole lot in common.”
THE POWER OF EDUCATION AND STORYTELLING
As an undergraduate, Gilmer double-majored in English and journalism, not yet knowing how those passions would shape his future. He worked as a fry cook at a local burger drive-in during his community college years and as a newspaper reporter to put himself through graduate school. Later, he earned a Ph.D. while working full-time.
“Writing was a means to an end, but it became much more than that,” he said.
It is a skill that’s served him throughout his career. Over the years, he’s written newspaper columns connecting universities to communities, weaving his storytelling into the fabric of higher education and community life, and been published in several books alongside Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners.
But his teaching was where the magic happened. Many of his students, going back 25 years, are still in close touch, and he routinely involves them in his social justice work. He recently hired one of them to fill a leadership role at Tougaloo College, bringing an alumna home to her alma mater, and two of his former students are now on Tougaloo’s governing board of trustees.
“A good teacher wants students to accomplish even more than the teacher ever will. I always tell my students this: education should move in both directions. I teach you something. You teach me something at the same time. Then we will be connected forever,” he said. To those former students who call him their role model, he replies by calling them his inspiration.
“Life,” Gilmer reflected, “is a series of small moments. Maybe none seems huge alone, but together they create a tapestry that can change lives.”
A LIFE OF DELIBERATE CHOICE AND ADVOCACY
Gilmer’s professional path has never been random. He’s served in leadership roles at historically Black colleges, Hispanic-serving institutions, and schools rooted in Appalachian communities. He made those choices deliberately.
“I was raised by a mother who, in a racially divided, male-dominated South, demanded equal rights for all races, for women, for the LGBTQ+ community, and others,” he said. “Advocacy came naturally to me.”
That commitment to access, equity and social justice brought him to Heritage.
“It felt like the job description was written just as I would have written my own dream job description. I was in love with the place and the people before I even got here,” he said. “More than 80% of Heritage students are first-generation. I know what it means to carry the dreams of your family with you. Heritage believes, like I do, that education is an inalienable right if you’re willing to work for it.”
The mission of Heritage, built on Yakama Nation land and shaped by Hispanic and Indigenous cultures, resonated deeply with Gilmer.
“Social justice isn’t the spice sprinkled on top,” he said. “It’s the main course.”
COMING HOME TO HERITAGE
Gilmer wasn’t searching for just another job. He was looking for a calling. He was working as the vice president for strategic initiatives and social justice at Tougaloo College in Mississippi, often called the Cradle of the Civil Rights Movement. It was a position he took after leaving his presidency at West Virginia University Potomac State College to return to Mississippi to help care for and spend quality time with his ailing father. “I figured what are the odds the place I want most to go will also want me, but I have to try for Heritage. As I continued to learn more, the move felt right, and here we are.”
“When I came out for the interview, there was a warmth, a generosity of spirit I hadn’t felt anywhere else. And when I met the students, and we shared our stories—there was electricity in that room. I wanted so much to be their champion. I knew it felt like home.”
As he steps into his new role, Gilmer plans to call Heritage a family. Not just because it sounds good but because it is already a family where he hopes to earn a seat.
“Trust is earned,” he said. “And I’m here to listen—to everyone who’ll share their dreams for this university. I want to earn the right to become a storyteller-in-chief for Heritage, its biggest cheerleader. That’s what a president should be.”
THE ROAD AHEAD
Gilmer envisions Heritage as a place where bold ideas continue to take root. He wants to chart a path toward greater financial sustainability with less dependence on state and federal funds. “Those funds will always be important and foundational,” he said, “but we need to continue diversifying the funding base.”
“Money follows purpose,” he said. “And we’ve got a purpose people believe in—that I believe in.”
That belief includes preserving and expanding academic programs, supporting underserved students and those who serve them, and elevating Heritage’s voice on the national stage.
“I want to build on what’s already strong here. The ideas will not be mine alone—I want to listen to the community, refine ideas together, and take action.”
LEADERSHIP WITH A LIGHT HEART
Despite the seriousness of the work ahead, Gilmer brings a spirit of joy to his role. “I take the work seriously—but not myself too seriously,” he laughed. “I’ll be raising money in Seattle one day and singing karaoke with students the next. There’s no reason you can’t lead with joy.”
Students and the entire community, he said, will find in him someone approachable, safe and real.
“I’ve got your back,” he said. “My job is to protect and uplift others. And I’ll do it with love.”
A GRATEFUL HEART
As he takes the helm of Heritage, Gilmer carries the teachings of his grandmother: “Start and end with gratitude.” For him and his spouse, David, the opportunity to serve this university is no small thing. Even their standard poodles, Vestal Pearl and Ruby Wynette, seem excited about a new beginning.
“It’s the biggest thing in our life,” he said. “We are profoundly thankful and humbled.” 