The President is the chief operating officer of the college. The office is responsible for directing the operations of the college and is the office which maintains contact with and reports directly to the Board of Trustees. Since the founding of Davidson College in 1837, there have been twenty-one presidents and acting presidents.

The Board of Trustees established the position of Executive Assistant to the President in 1990. Previously the President's Office had an intern position to serve as an assistant. The Executive Assistant was also responsible for Institutional Research. In 1997, the position of Executive Assistant was abolished and Institutional Research became the office of Planning and Institutional Research.