Campaign
Leadership
Campaign Leadership
Capital Campaign Chairs
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Milton H. Jones, Jr.
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Dr. George T. French, Jr.
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Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole
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Dr. Michael L. Lomax
Milton H. Jones, Jr.
Peachtree Providence Partners
Chair of the Board
Milton H. Jones, Jr., is Chair of UNCF’s Board of Directors and founding member of Peachtree Providence Partners Holding Company, LLC., in Atlanta, Georgia. Prior to his election as UNCF Board Chair on March 11, 2021, Jones served as vice chair of the board and chair of the Finance Committee. He has been a member of UNCF’s Board of Directors since 2005. UNCF is one of the nation’s largest and most effective supporters of higher education and serves as a leading advocate for college-bound students. Since its founding in 1944, UNCF has raised more than $6 billion to support more than 600,000 students’ access to higher education, provide scholarships and strengthen historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) including UNCF’s 37 member institutions.
Under Mr. Jones’s leadership, board members have achieved 100% participation in gifting funds to support UNCF’s mission, and he has significantly grown corporate representation on the board.
In addition to his role as UNCF Board Chair, Mr. Jones is a founding member of Peachtree Providence Partners Holding Company, LLC. In this role, he advises and collaborates with client board chairs, CEO’s and executives in key sectors that include financial services, healthcare, technology, government and higher education. For more than 32 years while at Bank of America, he held a series of senior executive positions with global responsibilities including roles reporting directly to the chairman and CEO.
Mr. Jones is vice chairman of the Meharry Medical College Board of Trustees; board chairman of 100 Black Men of America, Inc.; and co-chair of the Atlanta Chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors. He also serves on the advisory boards of the Metro Atlanta YMCA, Boy Scouts and the Commerce Club. He is a member of the Downtown Atlanta Rotary Club and is a member and past chairman of The Atlanta Business League and of 100 Black Men of Atlanta.
Mr. Jones is an alumnus of the University of Notre Dame (BBA-Accounting ’74) Leadership Atlanta (’90) and Leadership Georgia (’92). He has received degrees of Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa from Shaw University in 2007 and Allen University in 2023. Mr. Jones is a licensed Life and Health Insurance professional and a Six Sigma Black Belt.
Mr. Jones is married with an adult son and daughter and five grandchildren.
Dr. George T. French, Jr.
Dr. George T. French, Jr., is the the fifth president of Clark Atlanta University (CAU).
Dr. French served as president of Miles College, 2006-2019 before taking the lead at CAU. During his tenure, Miles College exceeded capital campaign goals—besting previous fundraising records, achieved an unprecedented financial composite score to position the school for growth, increased student access to educational funding, and more than doubled the size of the existing campus with key land acquisitions.
Prior to serving as the president of Miles College, Dr. French served in the roles of acting and interim president for the institution between October and December 2005. Before serving as interim president, Dr. French served as a member of the president’s cabinet in the capacity of director of institutional planning and development, and as such directed the offices of alumni affairs, federal contracts and grants, Title III, institutional research and effectiveness, congressional relations and public relations.
A native of Louisville, KY, Dr. French earned a bachelor of arts in political science with an emphasis in policy analysis from the University of Louisville. He was competitively accepted into the University of Richmond Law School and completed two years of studies before being recruited by Miles College to serve as the director of development. He completed his final year of law school at Miles Law School, earning a juris doctorate. Dr. French received his Ph.D. in higher education from Jackson State University.
Dr. French also has great influence off campus grounds. He served two terms, respectively, on the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges’ Board of Trustees, and the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity. He is a member of the Birmingham Business Alliance’s Executive Committee and Birmingham Museum of Art’s Board of Directors. In 2015, Dr. French co-founded Higher Education Leadership Foundation to help prepare highly-skilled talent for positions of leadership at historically Black colleges and universities.
“I am thankful and blessed to have the opportunity to lead another great institution and serve as the fifth president of Clark Atlanta University,” Dr. French said. “CAU has strong faculty, students and academics. I’m optimistic about the university’s next stage of growth and eager to build on the strong foundation CAU has established.”
Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole
In her role as co-chairperson of UNCF’s capital campaign, Dr. Cole will spearhead efforts to secure vital resources that will empower UNCF member colleges and universities to continue providing scholarships, support services and cutting-edge programs.
“I am elated to welcome my dear friend, Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole, fellow champion for equal justice in higher education, pioneering educator and extraordinary leader to join forces with UNCF to help us keep the momentum going with our bold, ambitious $1 billion capital campaign. With her immense expertise and passion for education, Dr. Cole will play a pivotal role in advancing the goals of our capital campaign and UNCF’s mission of ensuring equal access to higher education for underrepresented students of color,” said Dr. Michael L. Lomax, president and CEO, UNCF.
“Dr. Cole will serve as an ambassador for the campaign and advocate with UNCF-member presidents and her own network to help identify new supporters. She is no stranger to conducting successful capital campaigns,” said Lomax.
Dr. Cole was the first Black woman to serve as president of Spelman College, which was founded specifically for the education of women of African descent, and she was also the president of Bennett College.
Under President Cole’s leadership, “The Spelman Campaign: Initiatives for the 90s,” was launched and raised $113.8 million for the college’s endowment. In 1992, the college announced the receipt of $37 million from the DeWitt Wallace/Readers Digest Fund—at the time, the largest gift ever given to a historically Black college or university. The campaign brought Spelman’s endowment to $141 million, the largest at that time for any HBCU. As president of Bennett College, Dr. Cole led a successful $50 million capital campaign.
Dr. Michael L. Lomax
Michael Lucius Lomax, Ph.D., serves as president and CEO of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), the nation’s largest and most effective minority education organization and the largest private provider of scholarships and other educational support to underrepresented students.
A native of Los Angeles, Lomax entered Morehouse College at 16 and in 1968 was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in English as one of the College’s inaugural Phi Beta Kappa graduates. He earned a Master of Arts degree in English Literature from Columbia University in 1972 and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in American and African American Literature from Emory University in 1984.
In 1969, Lomax joined Morehouse as an English instructor. Over the next 20 years, he served on the faculties of both Morehouse and Spelman Colleges.
Lomax also began his civic career in Atlanta, working as the director of research and special assistant to Maynard Holbrook Jackson ’56, the city’s first African American mayor. During the Jackson Administration, he also helped establish Atlanta’s Office of Cultural Affairs.
In 1978, Lomax was elected to the Fulton County Board of Commissioners and became the first African American to be elected board chairman, responsible for a $500 million annual operating budget and 5,000 county employees. He founded the Fulton County Arts Council and the National Black Arts Festival, and oversaw the building of Georgia’s Interstate 400, the expansion and renovation of historic Grady Hospital, and construction of the Fulton County Government Center. In 1988, Lomax co-chaired the Democratic National Convention and was instrumental in bringing the 1996 Olympic Games to Atlanta.
Then, in 1994, he began his tenure as president of the National Faculty, an Atlanta-based organization dedicated to bringing together arts and sciences higher education scholars with K-12 teachers.
From 1997 to 2004, Lomax served as the fifth president of Dillard University. During his tenure, he led a successful $60 million campaign and saw student enrollment increase by nearly 50 percent, accompanied by dramatic increases in private funding and alumni giving.
Since 2004, Lomax has served as president and chief executive officer of UNCF. Under his leadership, UNCF has raised more than $4 billion and helped more than 300,000 students earn college degrees and launch careers. Annually, UNCF’s work enables 50,000 students to go to college with UNCF scholarships and attend its 37-member historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Lomax also oversees the organization’s 400-plus scholarship programs, which award more than 12,000 scholarships a year worth about $65 million.
In addition, he launched UNCF’s Institute for Capacity Building, which supports member HBCUs to become stronger, more effective and self-sustaining.
Under Lomax’s leadership, UNCF has engineered partnerships with reform-focused leaders and organizations and worked to further advance HBCUs with Congress, the administration, and the Department of Education.
Among his many honors, Lomax was appointed to the President’s Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities by President George W. Bush. He serves on the boards of Handshake, the KIPP Foundation, Cengage Group and Teach for America. He is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Senate, a trustee of the Studio Museum in Harlem, a founding member of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, and a past board member for America’s Promise Alliance.
A former Emory University trustee, Lomax, received the university’s most prestigious alumni honor, the Emory Medal, in 2004. His other awards include the Omicron Delta Kappa Laurel Crowned Circle Award, Morehouse’s Bennie Achievement Award, and 17 honorary degrees.
He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
Lomax resides in Atlanta, and is the father of three daughters, Deignan, Michele and Rachel, as well as the grandfather of Chloe, Averie, Bailey, Ethan and Michael, who is a rising senior at Morehouse College.
Campaign Leadership Team
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Dr. Marc A. Barnes
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Dr. Gia Soublet
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Pastel Dunn
Dr. Marc A. Barnes
Marc A. Barnes, Ph.D. Barnes serves as senior vice president, principal gifts and strategic impact investment fundraising at UNCF where he works directly with the president and CEO to strengthen financial support for strategic impact initiatives. In this capacity, he is responsible for the president’s strategic fundraising activities and leading a team to identify opportunities to broaden UNCF’s philanthropic revenue.
Barnes is an accomplished fund development officer who has more than two decades of experience in higher education and nonprofit management. Throughout his career, he has been an asset to leadership, having worked closely with university presidents, executives, and governing boards to raise capital for strategic goals and initiatives.
Prior to joining UNCF, Barnes served as vice president of institutional advancement at Dillard University, one of UNCF’s 37 historically Black college and university (HBCU) member institutions. While at Dillard, Barnes directed strategic planning and operations for fundraising, public relations, community relations, marketing and communications and strategic alumni giving initiatives from. Under his leadership, the university raised over $150 million, increased the alumni giving rate to 23%, secured the largest alumni donation on record in the amount of $1 million, and received more than $10 million from private individuals for strategic initiatives. In previous roles, Barnes served Dillard as assistant president for development and alumni relations and director of major gifts.
During his term as development director for the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation, Barnes helped to create and deploy a growth-focused development program and capital campaign. His leadership garnered over $8 million to complete a capital campaign dedicated to building the George and Joyce Wein Jazz & Heritage Center, stimulated fundraising by more than 200%, and increased annual gala net revenue by 400%.
Barnes earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing at Xavier University of Louisiana, a master of arts in philanthropy and development at LaGrange College, and a doctorate in urban higher education administration at Jackson State University. He is also a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE).
Dr. Gia Soublet
UNCF is pleased to welcome Gia Soublet, Ph.D., as vice president of UNCF’s new strategic impact investment fund (SIIF)—a major philanthropic effort set to elevate the critical work of UNCF and its 37 member historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Soublet will work directly with Senior Vice President of Principal Gifts and Strategic Investments Marc Barnes, Ph.D., and UNCF’s Office of the President to secure financial support and mobilize a team of fundraising professionals.
Dr. Soublet brings to UNCF 25 years of experience driving growth and resources for nonprofit organizations, including some of the nation’s most notable HBCUs. She is a graduate from both UNCF-member Xavier University of Louisiana and Jackson State University. Most recently, she served as vice chancellor for institutional advancement at North Carolina Central University where she oversaw all private fundraising efforts. Previously, Soublet served as vice president for institutional advancement and assistant vice president for development at Xavier University of Louisiana and has also supported major gifts and corporation and foundation relations at UNCF-member Dillard University in New Orleans.
Pastel Dunn
Director, Individual Giving
Pastel K. Dunn is a proven nonprofit and higher education leader with more than 20 years of experience in fundraising, development operations and strategic planning. In her current role, she helps guide the operational framework for UNCF’s historic $1 billion capital campaign, working closely with senior leadership to shape campaign priorities, strengthen systems, and drive sustainable growth for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
Before joining UNCF, where she has held progressive leadership roles, Ms. Dunn held senior development positions with the American Occupational Therapy Foundation, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, and the National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities.
Ms. Dunn is currently pursuing her PhD in higher education leadership at Notre Dame of Maryland University. Her doctoral research explores the intersection of philanthropy, student retention, institutional sustainability and organizational change, reflecting her commitment to advancing equity and strengthening higher education.
Guided by the belief that education is a catalyst for change, Ms. Dunn is passionate about building inclusive teams, leveraging philanthropy to empower students and creating pathways that ensure long-term institutional success.
Capital Campaign Staff
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Sabawoon Azizi
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Mateo Bonilla
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Janeile Johnson
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Jeanine P. Osborne
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R. Paul Stewart
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Keeva Robertson
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Jarrad Turner
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Felicia Wilson