Johnson C. Smith President Announces Retirement in ‘Bittersweet Moment’ at the HBCU

Clarence D. “Clay” Armbrister, president of Johnson C. Smith University, announced in a message to students Tuesday he will retire in June from the west Charlotte institution. Armbrister became the 14th president of the historically Black university on Jan. 1, 2018. He said in his message that the JCSU Board of Trustees will launch a search for his successor, and that he’ll stay on as senior adviser until early 2024 to help the new president.