Quinton Ross (politician)

Quinton T. Ross Jr. (born October 30, 1968) is an American politician and university administrator who is the 15th president of Alabama State University, a Historically Black College (HBCU). A Democrat, Ross served as a member of the Alabama Senate from 2002 to 2017 and served as the Minority Leader from 2014 to 2017.

Quinton Ross
Quinton Ross in 2019 at Alabama State University's graduation
15th President of Alabama State University
Incumbent
Assumed office October 3, 2017
Preceded by	Gwendolyn Boyd
Minority Leader of the Alabama Senate
In office November 2014 – October 2, 2017
Preceded by	Roger Bedford, Jr.
Succeeded by	Billy Beasley
Member of the Alabama Senate from the 26th district
In office November 6, 2002 – October 2, 2017
Preceded by	Charles Langford
Personal details
Born	(1968-10-30) October 30, 1968 (age 56) Mobile, Alabama, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	J. Kelley
Children	2
Parents	Quinton T. Ross, Sr. (1946-2023)[1] (father) Shirley A. Rice Ross (mother)
Profession	Educator; politician
Academic background
Alma mater	Alabama State University (BS, MA, EdD)
Thesis	The Alabama State Senate's Attitude about the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 ( 2010)
Doctoral advisor	Robert H. Beach
Academic work
Institutions	Alabama State University

Early life and education

Ross was born in Mobile, Alabama.^[2] His parents, Quinton Ross, Sr., and Shirley A. Ross, met as students at Alabama State, and recruited to teach in Pontiac, Michigan, where Quinton, Jr. was raised.^[3][4] He attended Kennedy School (Pontiac, MI) and Pontiac Northern High School.^[3]

For college, Ross followed in his parents' footsteps and attended Alabama State, where he received his BS in 1992, Political Science;^[5] MA, Education in 1995;^[5] and EdD, Educational Leadership, Policy and Law in 2010.^[2][3][5]

Career

Professional experience

Ross has held several positions in education. He was the director of adult education consortium at H. Councill Trenholm State Community College.^[5]

He served as principal of Booker T. Washington Magnet High School, Montgomery,^[2] "the first Black principal of a magnet high school in Montgomery.”^[3]

Since 2017, he has served as president of Alabama State University.^[4][5]

In 2024, he was named to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Board of Directors.^[4]`

Political experience

He was a senator in the Alabama State Senate.^[2] He served on the following legislative committees: Commerce, Transportation, and Utilities; Education (vice chair); Tourism and Marketing; and Veterans and Military Affairs.^[2]

Ross was found not guilty of corruption in 2011.^[6]

Affiliations

Ross has been a member for the following organizations:

• Member, Council for Leaders in Alabama Schools
• Member, National Association of Secondary School Principals
• Member, NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics, 2025^[4]
• Member, Omega Psi Phi^[2]
• Member, President’s Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), appointed by President Biden, 2022^[4]

Personal life

Ross is married to J. Kelley, and together they have two children named Quinmari and Quinton.^[2] He is a member of Hutchinson Missionary Baptist Church.^[2]