ACHS grad Trent-Adams named university president
Appomattox County High School graduate Dr. Sylvia Trent-Adams. Image: Contributed/Times Virginian Archives

Dr. Sylvia Trent-Adams, a graduate of Appomattox County High School, has spent her entire career blazing new trails. Before joining The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth in 2020, she was the first Black woman to serve as Deputy Surgeon General of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps., then the first Black woman to rise to the level of Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health.

On Monday, she made history yet again when the UNT System Board of Regents named her the first Black woman to lead a health science center in Texas. The Board of Regents selected her as the sole finalist for the position on Aug. 19 based on state law that requires university governing boards to name finalists for a presidency at least 21 days before making a permanent appointment.

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