Francine G. McNairy

Francine Gladys McNairy is an American academic administrator who served as the thirteenth president of Millersville University of Pennsylvania from 2003 to 2013. McNairy was the first African American woman to head one of Pennsylvania’s 14 state-owned universities.

Life McNairy earned a bachelor's degree sociology in 1968, a master's degree in social work in 1970, and a Ph.D. in speech rhetoric/communication with emphasis on interpersonal and small group communication from the University of Pittsburgh in 1978.

In 1973, McNairy became an assistant professor at Clarion University. She was promoted to dean of academic support services and assistant to the vice president for academic affairs. During the fall 1997 semester, she was the acting president while Joseph Caputo was on sabbatical. She was the first African American and woman in the role.