William R. Harvey

William Robert Harvey (born January 29, 1941, Brewton, Alabama) is an American educator, academic administrator, and businessman who served as president of Hampton University from 1978 to 2022. He is the longest serving president in the school's history. Harvey became the first African-American owner in the soft drink bottling industry when he and his wife, Norma Baker Harvey, purchased a Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company franchise together in 1986.

On December 15, 2020, He announced his plans to retire as President of Hampton University by June 2022. He officially retired on June 30, 2022, after serving nearly 44 consecutive years as president.