From NKAA, Notable Kentucky African Americans Database (main entry)
Kentucky State University Presidents, 1886-present
Below is a list of the permanent presidents of what is today known as Kentucky State University (K-State), located in Frankfort, KY. The information comes from an unpublished document, "Kentucky State University Presidents, 1886-Present," created by the Center of Excellence for the Study of Kentucky African Americans (CESKAA), no date; a copy of the document was sent from the Kentucky State University Library, Special Collections. The list of presidents is also available online. For a list of the interim presidents, contact the Kentucky State University Library, Special Collections.
- John Henry Jackson - served 1886-1898
- James Edward Givens - served 1898-1900
- James Shelton Hathaway - served 1900-1907
- John Henry Jackson - served a second term 1907-1910
- Albert Ernest Meyzeek - served one month, July 1, 1910-August 1, 1910
- James Shelton Hathaway - served a second term 1910-1912
- Walter S. Buchanan - no service
- Green Pinckney Russell - served 1912-1923 ; G. P. Russell was appointed president after Walter S. Buchanan, from Alabama A & M College, had accepted the position but never showed up at K-State.
- Francis Marion Wood - served 1923-1924
- Green Pinckney Russell - served a second term 1924-1929
- Rufus Ballard Atwood - served 1929-1962 ; Longest serving president at K-State.
- Carl McClellan Hill - served 1962-1975
- William A. Butts - served 1975-1982
- Raymond Malcolm Burse - served 1982-1989 ; He returned as interim president in 2014.
- John T. Wolfe, Jr. - served 1990-1991
- Mary L. Smith - served 1991-1998 ; She served as interim president April 1989-July 1990, then replaced President John T. Wolfe, Jr. to become the first woman to serve as president of K-State.
- George Willis Reid - served 1998-2002
- Mary Evans Sias - served 2004-2014
- Raymond Burse - served 2014-2016
- M. Christopher Brown II - served 2017-2021
- Koffi C. Akakpo- served 2023-