Dr. Paula A. Johnson, chief of the Division of Women’s Health at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, has been named the 14th president of Wellesley College.

Johnson, 56, will be the first African-American to lead the liberal arts college for women when she takes over on July 1 for Kim Bottomly, who announced last April that she would be stepping down after nine years.

“It could not be a more exciting time for Wellesley, and the opportunity to help guide Wellesley into the future, building on its mission, vision and resolve, is one that I find deeply inspiring,” Johnson said in a statement. “I am honored and humbled to be asked to serve as Wellesley’s president, and I view this presidency as the capstone of my career, which has been devoted to the advancement of women through education and faculty development, and by working to improve their health and well-being.”

Andrew Shennan, Wellesley’s provost and dean and a member of the presidential search committee, said Johnson will, among other things, lead the 141-year-old college through the renovation of many of its buildings, while continuing its tradition of admitting students, regardless of their ability to pay. Currently, more than 50 percent of Wellesley’s 2,300 students receive financial aid from the college, Shennan said.

“All liberal arts colleges need to be ever more persuasive about why this kind of education has an enduring value, and I think she’ll do a great job making that case,” he said. “And for the president to be a person of color is a huge step for the campus and one that will be welcomed by all our faculty, students and staff.”