Maureen A. Hartford, Ed.D , was named President of Meredith College on February 26, 1999, and officially assumed the duties of that position the following July 1. Dr. Hartford is the first female president of Meredith, the largest private college for women in the Southeast. She came to the presidency from the University of Michigan, where she had served as vice president for student affairs since 1992 and also as a faculty member of the Center for the Study of Higher and Post-Secondary Education. Prior to her roles at Michigan, Dr. Hartford served in senior administration positions at Washington State University, Case Western Reserve, the University of Arkansas, and the University of Maine.

President Hartford, a native of Charlotte, NC, earned a BA in French and History and an MA in College Teaching at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Her doctorate in higher education administration is from the University of Arkansas, where her dissertation topic was Profiles of Women Chief Executive Officers.

Throughout her career in higher education, President Hartford has focused on student health and safety, leadership, and community service initiatives. She helped establish the University of Michigan's Ginsberg Center for Community Service and Learning, and was the mentor for the University's first female Rhodes scholar. She was instrumental in expanding LeaderShape , a national program which focuses on ethical leadership development in young people, onto college campuses, and she worked with the administration of United States President William Clinton in the establishment of the Americorps Program.

During her tenure at Meredith, Dr. Hartford has led the College in the creation of exciting new campus initiatives, as well as in the development and implementation of a five-year strategic plan and a comprehensive $33.5 million capital campaign.

President Hartford was recently named to a four-year term on the Board of Directors for the North Carolina Citizens for Business and Industry, and was also honored with induction into the YWCA Academy of Women in the Education category. The YWCA Academy of Women selects and inducts women who demonstrate a commitment to the community and exemplify the YWCA mission of empowering women and eliminating racism.

In 2007, the U. S. Secretary of the Navy appointed President Hartford to her second four-year term on the Marine Corps University's Board of Visitors; she will also serve as chair-elect of the Board of Visitors beginning in November 2007. As a member of the board, President Hartford advises the commanding general of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command and the president of the Marine Corps University in education, doctrinal, budgetary, enrollment and research polices and programs.

The President and her husband, Jay Hartford, who retired as senior director of corporate and foundation relations at the University of Michigan, live in the Massey House President's Residence on the Meredith campus.