A best-selling author who serves as interim president and CEO of Philander Smith University will deliver the annual commencement address May 4 at Emory & Henry College.
Dr. Cynthia A. Bond Hopson will be a part of ceremonies that will award degrees to nearly 200 undergraduate students and graduate students. The commencement program will begin at 10 a.m. at Fred Selfe Stadium on the E&H campus.
Hopson’s books frequently focus on the intersection of faith and life challenge. They have been praised for the hope they offer primarily to women, but also have been lauded as writings from which all readers may draw inspiration.
Her newest offering, “Totally Graceful, Wisdom for Phenomenal and Grace-filled Women,” seeks to provide daily doses of empowerment. In books such as “Bad Hair Days, Rainy Days and Mondays,” “Too Many Irons in the Fire and They’re All Smoking,” and “31 is Thirty-Wonderful, A Prayer and Reflection Journal/Journey for Triumphant Women,” she strives to employ laughter and straight talk to move audiences from complacency to power.
Her poignant tome, “The Women of Haywood, Their Lives, Our Legacy,” chronicles the lives of four professional women in rural West Tennessee. She infuses their stories of triumph with scholarly essays and reflections to provide context and additional insights.
She and her late husband, Roger, traveled all 50 states and six continents. From those experiences, they produced a book of devotions for married couples, “I Do…Every Day,” which was named a Number One Best Selling Christian Book by Amazon.com.
Bond Hopson assumed the role of interim president and CEO at Philander Smith University in Little Rock, Ark., on July 1, 2023, following nearly 18 years of service as a trustee at the institution. Before taking on this position, Bond Hopson held the role of chief equity officer and assistant general secretary at the United Methodist Church’s General Board of Higher Education and Ministry’s Black College Fund. In this capacity, she played a crucial role in promoting and managing the funding that provided support to the denomination’s 10 Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Bond Hopson holds a bachelor of arts degree in mass communications from Clark College (now Clark Atlanta University), a master of science degree in journalism from Murray State University, and a doctoral degree in Journalism from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.
She received an honorary doctorate from the historic Bethune Cookman University. The Thurston Group of Washington State awarded her its 2019 lifetime achievement award for her commitment to higher education.
