O'Leary formally took office as president of Fisk University in August 2004, beginning a nearly decade-long tenure leading her alma mater.
In August 2004, Hazel R. O'Leary formally assumed the office of president of Fisk University, following her announcement as the university's 14th president earlier that year. The precise day of her inauguration or formal assumption of duties is not consistently documented in available sources, making this a month-level approximate date.
Taking office at Fisk placed O'Leary at the helm of one of the most historically significant Black colleges in the United States, an institution whose alumni include W.E.B. Du Bois and other towering figures in African American intellectual and cultural history. Her leadership focused on strengthening the university's endowment, expanding academic offerings, and raising Fisk's national profile at a time of significant financial pressure across the HBCU sector.
O'Leary would go on to serve as Fisk's president until 2013, guiding the institution through a challenging period that included notable controversies over the university's art collection and ongoing fundraising efforts. Her tenure is remembered as a period of stabilization and renewed visibility for the university.
This assumption of office represents the formal beginning of O'Leary's near-decade of service as an HBCU president, adding another dimension to her multifaceted career in law, energy policy, and education leadership.