Christine Johnson McPhail, an American academic administrator and the thirteenth president of St.
Augustine’s University, died on March 1, 2026, at age 80. Born in Tyler, Texas, on February 1, 1946, she was the daughter of Mary and Otis Johnson.
She attended Emmett Scott High School, graduated from Fresno City College, and earned a bachelor’s degree in social work from Fresno State University. McPhail worked for the Economic Opportunities Commission, began a doctoral program at the University of California, Berkeley while serving as a counselor at Contra Costa College, and later held administrative posts at College of Alameda before transferring to a part-time D.Ed. program in higher education at the University of Southern California.
Christine Johnson McPhail (February 1, 1946 – March 1, 2026) was an American academic administrator who was the thirteenth president of St. Augustine’s University from 2021 to 2023.