Portia Holmes Shields is an American academic administrator who served as the seventh president of Albany State University from 1996 to 2005.
[1][2] She earned a Ph.D. in early childhood and elementary education at the University of Maryland, College Park.
[3] From 1989 to 1993, Holmes was the director of medical and biomedical communications at the Howard University College of Medicine.
[4] Shields was appointed as interim president of Tennessee State University effective January 2, 2011.
[5] Shields made sweeping changes to the university which led to a more involved and active alumni and staff.