Outstanding Alumnae

Congratulations to our 2025 Outstanding Alumnae winners! This year’s winners exemplify the Agnes Scott College mission and prove — through their relationships, work and service — that Scotties are claiming their place in this world!

Aleesia Tolliver Johnson '99

Distinguished Career

Dr. Aleesia Johnson ’99 graduated with a degree in psychology and Africana Studies and currently serves as superintendent of Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS), the largest district in Indiana, serving more than 30,000 students. Named superintendent in 2019, Johnson has entered her second decade of service as an educator. She is the first Black woman to be superintendent in Indianapolis Public Schools. Under her leadership, IPS has closed narrowing gaps for equitable education, improved staff retention, and secured $410 million for facility improvements. She serves on several boards, including the Harvard Center for Education Policy Research and Chiefs for Change. Dr. Johnson is dedicated to educational equity and transformative leadership.

Charlotte Gillis '75

Service to the College

Charlotte Gillis ’75 graduated with a degree in biology and has consistently devoted her time to serving Agnes Scott ever since. Gillis has served as her Class President, assisted in planning the Class of 1975’s 35th Reunion and most recently completed two terms on the Alumnae Board of Directors, which included serving as chair of the Classes and Chapters committee. Throughout her career, she has worked in landscaping across the Southeast. In 2017, the Georgia River Network honored her as Conservationist of the Year for her impactful work on water trails in Georgia.

May Cameron (May C) Brown '65

Service to the Community

May C. Brown ’65 graduated with a degree in English. She began her career at DFACs, working with foster and birth families to help with adoption or reunification. Brown taught at Georgia Tech for seventeen years, organizing literary seminars on renowned authors. In 1980, she founded Earthkind Landscapes, focusing on providing employment for marginalized individuals and offering organic landscape services. Additionally, Brown established the Grant Park Family Health Center and led the Friendship Center of Atlanta supporting employment programs empowering individuals with mental illness by gardening to develop confidence, self-respect, and community support.

Charleen McClure '10

Outstanding Young Alumna

Charleen McClure graduated with a degree in English. She is a poet, writer, and actor. A Fullbright scholar and Rona Jafee award recipient, her work appeared in Poem–a–Day, Prairie Schooner, The Offing, and more. Her debut poetry collection d-sorientation was praised as a “work of staggering beauty, intellect, and grace…” by Aracelis Girmay. McClure made her acting debut as Mack in All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt (A24, 2023), a role The New Yorker described as “extraordinary,” embodying “poise, inwardness, thoughtful radiance, and a quietly relentless sense of purpose.”