UNCF Board of Directors
Directors-at-Large
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Milton H. Jones, Jr.
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Kieth Cockrell
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Celia A. Colbert
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Gregory G. Cunningham
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Vladimir Galiothe
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Paul Gama
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Alfred G. Goldstein
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Gerald Johnson
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Aloysius “Ish” McLaughlin
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Ken Mehlman
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Ben Minicucci
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Rhonda Morris
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Tara Parker
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Laurie Readhead
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Danette Anthony Reed
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David Sable
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LaSonja Scott
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William F. Stasior
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Terry Woodard
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Safroadu (Saf) Yeboah-Amankwah
Milton H. Jones, Jr.
Peachtree Providence Partners
Chair of the Board
Kieth Cockrell
Kieth Cockrell, as President of Bank of America Charlotte and Head of Sports Sponsorships, is responsible for connecting banking and investment resources offered through the bank’s eight lines of business to people and companies across the region, deploying Bank of America’s resources to address social and economic concerns, and helping the local community thrive.
Cockrell previously served as the Global Technology & Operations chief operating officer with responsibility for programs, business controls, oversight and operations as well as external relationships, for nearly 95,000 teammates in more than 35 countries.
Prior to that, Cockrell served as head of Specialty Client Services for Consumer & Small Business and president of Bank of America Michigan. During his 39-year career in financial services, Cockrell has held several key executive roles including COO for Consumer and Small business, national community markets executive responsible for 1,800 financial centers, customer service and support responsible for all call center operations and led the debit card and ATM businesses. He also oversaw the Specialty Clients Services, Life Services, Employee Financial Services and Client Escalations teams.
Cockrell is a passionate ally and advocate for a diverse and inclusive workplace. He has served as vice chair of the Global Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Council. In this role, he was instrumental in establishing several employee networks, including the Black Professional Group; the Hispanic/Latino Organization for Leadership and Advancement; the Military Support and Assistance Group; and the Black Executive Advisory Council.
In 2019, he received the Root Award and the Vanguard Award, two D&I awards recognizing his leadership role in promoting equality, unity and multiculturalism. He is an active member and advisor in several employee networks. Active in the community, he co-chaired the 2020 Charlotte City Bond Campaign. He plays a vital role on various boards with local organizations, including immediate past chair of the Levine Museum of the New South, the incoming chair for the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, Foundation for the Carolinas Community Real Property Holdings, Inc., My Brother’s Keeper Charlotte-Mecklenburg, and is the vice chair of the board of trustees for HBCU Johnson C. Smith University.
Also, Cockrell has previously served on the boards of United Way, Goodwill Industries, Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina and the American Diabetes Association, which previously named him Father of the Year. Cockrell is a Michigan Chronicle Men of Excellence honoree and received the Excellence in Economic Development award from the 100 Black Men of Detroit.
Celia A. Colbert
Senior Vice President, Secretary and Assistant General Counsel
Merck & Company (Retired)
UNCF Board of Directors
Gregory G. Cunningham
Vice President, Enterprise Diversity and Inclusion
U.S. Bancorp
UNCF Board of Directors
Vladimir Galiothe
CitiBank
UNCF Board of Directors
Paul Gama
President, Personal Health Care
Procter & Gamble Co.
UNCF Board of Directors
Alfred G. Goldstein
President and CEO
A.G. & Associates
UNCF Board of Directors
Gerald Johnson
General Motors
UNCF Board of Directors
Aloysius “Ish” McLaughlin
Franklin Templeton
UNCF Board of Directors
Ken Mehlman
Global Head of Public Affairs
Co-Head of Global Impact
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR)
Ben Minicucci
Alaska Airlines
UNCF Board of Directors
Rhonda Morris
Chevron
UNCF Board of Directors
Tara Parker
ExxonMobil
UNCF Board of Directors
Laurie Readhead
Executive Vice President
CIO, Global Technology and Operations
Bank of America
UNCF Board of Directors
Danette Anthony Reed
Danette Anthony Reed is the International President and CEO of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®. She is the 31st woman to lead the nation’s first African American sorority for college-educated women.
Anthony Reed ascended to the Alpha Kappa Alpha’s highest office in July 2022. Her 46 years of continuous sorority service at local, regional, and international levels have well-prepared her for this role.
As International President and CEO, she sets policies and programs. In addition, she leads the sorority’s 18-member Board of Directors representing other international officers and ten regional directors who oversee the management of the sorority’s more than 1,061 chapters and 320,000 initiated members throughout the United States and 11 other countries.
A Dallas, TX resident and retired PepsiCo executive, Anthony Reed brings decades of corporate leadership, community engagement, service, and progressive sorority governance.
During her tenure at PepsiCo, Anthony Reed rose through the operations ranks at Frito-Lay, becoming the first African American woman plant director to lead the start-up of an $80 million bakery facility in Dallas. She later moved to Frito-Lay’s corporate office and led a cross-functional team in the commercialization of $300 million in innovative products. She retired in 2017 after 34 years of service.
Anthony Reed holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA), specializing in Finance, from Southern Methodist University and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Northwestern University.
In addition to her Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority service, Anthony Reed is a charter member of the Greater Denton County (TX) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated®; Top Ladies of Distinction; the Carrousels of Dallas, TX; and the National Association of Parliamentarians. Currently, she serves as treasurer of the Krugerville, TX, Community Development Corporation.
She has received numerous honors, awards, and accolades, including Who’s Who Among Executives and Professionals, Women’s Inclusion Network Lifetime Achievement Award, PepsiCo’s Global Harvey Russell Diversity and Inclusion Award, National Council of Negro Women Outstanding Service Award, Greater Denton County Chapter of The Links, Incorporated Leadership Award, Women’s Inclusion Network Leadership Development Award, and Women of Color Making an Impact Award.
David Sable
Vice Chairman, Stagwell
UNCF Board of Directors
LaSonja Scott
LaSonja Scott is an accomplished executive who brings deep financial, strategic planning and international expertise to her role as chief of staff to the chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company. Scott is responsible for the operations of the Office of the CEO, as well as leading the implementation of some of the company’s top business strategies.
Scott has nearly 30 years of experience in finance, strategic planning and accounting and has worked in the Coca-Cola system for the past 22 years in various finance positions at the company’s global headquarters as well as in its North America and Europe operations.
As a Coca-Cola system veteran, she has led teams of increasing accountability across finance, global IT, North America Foodservice, investor relations and the Controller’s Group. She also was a finance manager for the Europe Group, based in London.
Among her most notable roles, Scott helped communicate the company’s growth story to investors and build global finance capabilities. Specifically, as director of investor relations, she engaged with the global investment community to provide insights on operating results and strategy while providing business and analytical support to the senior management team.
In addition, as global finance director, she created and transformed the global finance capability strategy and delivered new and more digitized ways to grow capabilities across the organization. She developed networked communities working across departments to upskill teams in the digital, finance and enterprise governance areas.
Scott holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from South Carolina State University and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Mercer University. She is also a certified public accountant (CPA) and a certified internal auditor (CIA).
William F. Stasior
Senior Chairman (Retired)
Booz Allen Hamilton
Chair Emeritus, UNCF Board of Directors
Terry Woodard
Terry Woodard is a managing director and vice chairman in J.P. Morgan Private Bank’s Financial Sponsors Group. Woodard, along with his team of financial and service specialists, are responsible for handling the day-to-day banking, investment, tax and financial planning needs of individuals and non-profit organizations.
Woodard has been with the firm for over 35 years. He started his career with the Chase Manhattan Bank and attended the Credit Training Program. He has held positions in General Auditing, Risk Management, Credit Underwriting, and Client Management.
Currently, Woodard is the global co-chair of BOLD (Black Organization for Leadership and Development), co-chair and co-founder of the Asset Management Black Leadership Forum and a member of the Executive Leadership Council (ELC). He is the captain of the Morehouse College Recruiting Team and is actively involved in undergraduate recruiting at Howard University.
He is the chairman of the board of Jazz House Kids, chairman of the board of the Sphinx Organization, a member of the Friends of MoMA and a former board member of the Girls Scouts in Essex, Hudson, and Union Counties of New Jersey.
Woodard joined JPMorgan Chase after graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Finance from Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA. He is the recipient of the Harlem YMCA Black Achievers in Industry Award, The Dreamer Award from the Morehouse Manhattan Alumni Chapter, Alumnus of the Year Award from the Morehouse College National Alumni Association and a Crain’s New York 2022 Notable Diverse Leader in Banking and Finance.
Safroadu (Saf) Yeboah-Amankwah
Intel
UNCF Board of Directors
Institutional Directors
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Dr. Paulette Dillard
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Dr. Cheryl Evans Jones
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Dr. Herman J. Felton, Jr.
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Dwight Fennell
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Dr. Rochelle Ford
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Dr. George T. French, Jr.
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Helene D. Gayle, M.D., MPH
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Dr. Ronnie Hopkins
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Dr. Hakim J. Lucas
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Charlotte P. Morris, Ph.D.
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Dr. Gregory J. Vincent
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Dr. Melva K. Wallace
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Dr. Dwaun J. Warmack
Dr. Herman J. Felton, Jr.
Herman J. Felton, Jr., Ph.D., J.D., is the 17th President & CEO of Wiley University in 2018. Before his appointment at Wiley University, he served as Wilberforce University’s 21st president. His leadership experience has included chief operating officer, senior vice president, and vice president at Livingstone College in Salisbury, North Carolina. He is also a former director of development and lecturer in the Government, Law, and International Affairs Department at Murray State University in Kentucky.
President Felton began his service at Wiley University, signaling the Bold and Audacious Vision. Under his leadership, he has achieved several significant accomplishments, including spearheading a campaign with College alumni and supporters that has generated the renovation and modernization of every building on campus. He has successfully garnered support from various foundations and local businesses, such as the Marshall Economic Development Corporation who assisted with the renovation of KBWC 91.1, the University’s radio station.
His leadership has launched the Heman Sweatt Center for Social Good and Leadership, created a training space for physical education majors, and implemented the student health, counseling, and wellness unit, now staffed with full-time licensed practitioners.
The University has received over $20 million in grants and gifts, generating some of the largest gifts in the University’s history. In addition to his accomplishments on Wiley’s campus, President Felton has immersed himself in the fabric of the Marshall Community, where he is a member of the Marshall Rotary Club, the Marshall Chamber of Commerce, and the Citizens Advisory Council.
President Felton earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Edward Waters College in Jacksonville, Florida. Also, he earned his Juris Doctorate from the Levin College of Law at the University of Florida and completed his graduate work at Jackson State University, where he earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Administration and Supervision.
He is co-founder of the Higher Education Leadership Foundation (H.E.L.F.), an organization ensuring that a pipeline of transformational, highly skilled, and principled leaders are identified and cultivated to meet the needs, challenges, and opportunities facing the Nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities. President Felton served in the United States Marine Corps for eight years. He is married to the lovely Katherine Anne Felton and is the father of Jamal, Paige, and Herman, III (Trey).
Dwight Fennell
Dwight J. Fennell is the 23rd president of Texas College (Tyler, TX). He is a native of Miami, FL. Following graduation from high school, he immediately enrolled in Saint Augustine’s College (now Saint Augustine’s University) in Raleigh, NC, where he completed the baccalaureate degree in history and government. He pursued and completed the master of arts degree in history at Atlanta University, and a second master of science degree in education at Florida International University in Miami, FL.
He received the education specialist and doctor of philosophy degrees from Florida State University in Tallahassee. He has completed post-doctoral work in educational leadership with the American Council on Education as an ACE Fellow at Trinity University in San Antonio, TX. Fennell began his professional career in higher education at Florida International University, where he worked in various capacities including community service initiatives, adult and continuing education and as assistant director of the honors program. He also worked at Florida Atlantic University as director of the Student Retention Program.
After leaving the State University System of Florida, Fennell taught at Morris Brown College in Atlanta, and later at Saint Augustine’s College (his alma mater). While at Saint Augustine’s College, he became a tenured associate professor of history and later vice president for academic affairs, a position he held for seven of the 11 years he spent at the institution. Fennell relocated to Dallas in 1998 to become provost of Paul Quinn College with the responsibilities of both academic affairs and student affairs. He was appointed interim president of the college in 2001, and in 2002, he received the unanimous vote of the Board of Trustees to become the 32nd president of Paul Quinn College.
During his tenure as president, the college experienced an increase in enrollment, increased student retention, enhanced community collaborations, increased funding of student scholarships, renovations to the campus buildings and increase in the college’s endowment. Fennell served as Executive Director of Project Development in 2005 at The Potter’s House Incorporated with the ministry of Bishop T.D. Jakes for two years. He held the overall responsibilities for design, development and construction of Capella Park, a residential subdivision featuring more than 1,000 single-family homes. He also had responsibility for the administrative oversight of Clay Academy, a private, Christian college preparatory school. Fennell led the preparatory school to accreditation, scholarship funding, enrollment and grade level growth.
As president of Texas College, Fennell leads with a focus on “student centeredness.” This means that his primary direction is with creating an educational environment and processes that lead to student learning in an atmosphere that is conducive for such. Fennell’s approach to leadership is that of “shared governance,” and he holds his team to accountability, integrity and productivity. Fennell’s “student centeredness” focus has been embraced by faculty, staff and students. The results of this focus have led to facility improvements, academic program refinement, accreditation enhancements, enrollment growth, and growth in the college’s endowment along with enhanced relationships with the local communities.
Fennell is married to Angelia, and they have one son, Dwight, Jr.
Dr. Rochelle Ford
Dr. Rochelle L. Ford, APR, serves as the University’s eighth president. Ford was the dean of Elon University’s School of Communications, where she led more than 80 faculty and 1,500 students with six undergraduate major programs of study and one graduate program. Ford is a 2021 fellow in Clark Atlanta University’s HBCU Executive Leadership Institute. Succeeding Dr. Walter Kimbrough, Ford assumed her role as president July 1, 2022. [Dillard University is a UNCF-member institution.]
“I feel very blessed and honored to be selected to service Dillard University, which is a national treasure committed to producing leaders who live ethically,” said Ford. “Dillard’s alumni think precisely and act courageously to make the world a better place. I aim to continue that legacy and ensure the sustainability of Dillard for generations to come.”
Having built a robust resume in higher education administration and instruction, Ford has earned a reputation as a hard-working transformative leader. Her scholarship and experience include diversity, equity and inclusion, public relations, advertising, journalism, and media.
The following are some of Ford’s many accomplishments:
• The second dean in the history of Elon’s School of Communications, Ford increased student enrollment approximately 15% between 2018 and 2021. Among many factors, Ford credits relationship-rich, engaged learning for the school’s enrollment success.
• Ford completed the HBCU Executive Leadership Institute microcredential on navigating board governance.
• At Syracuse, Ford co-chaired the university’s successful Middle States Commission on Higher Education re-accreditation and initiated a university-wide required common first year experience.
• With the recommendations of the School of Communication’s Faculty Technology Committee, Ford made strategic investments in her unit’s technological infrastructure including creative software, establishing video distribution through OTT, providing media analytics and social listening tools, enhancing video over fiber optics and audio over IP, updating and increasing camera coverage for Elon Athletics and Elon Sports Vision, and branding through digital signage in addition to other resources.
• At Elon, she led a reorganization of the academic departments to provide students with more access to administrators, improved faculty and student mentoring and strengthened academic curriculum and industry partnerships. Ford also hired more than 10 full-time faculty and more than 10 part-time instructors.
Before entering her role at Elon, Ford served as Syracuse University’s provost faculty fellow, implementing its strategic plan. She also served as the chair of the public relations department in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Prior to Syracuse, she helped establish the Academic Center for Excellence at Howard University and served as the associate dean of research and academic affairs in Howard’s School of Communications.
Among Ford’s numerous publications are “Administrative Challenges and Organizational Leadership in Historically Black College and Universities” and “Setting a New Agenda for Student Engagement and Retention in Historically Black Colleges and Universities”, both co-authored with Charles B.W. Prince.
In 2018, Ford was inducted into the PRWeek Hall of Fame. ColorCOMM listed her as one of 28 Most Influential Black Females in Communications in 2021.
A native of Gahanna, Ohio, Ford earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism with a specialization in public relations from Howard, her master’s degree in journalism with a specialization in public relations from University of Maryland, College Park, and her Ph.D. in journalism from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. She also earned a graduate certificate in higher education administration from Harvard University.
Active in both her discipline and her community, Ford is a member of the Public Relations Society of America, where she holds an Accreditation in Public Relations. She is also a member of the National Black Public Relations Society, the Arthur W. Page Society, the American Advertising Federation, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., the Alamance County Chamber of Commerce’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and the United Church of Christ. Dillard is affiliated with the United Church of Christ as well as the United Methodist Church.
Ford is the second woman named Dillard’s president in a permanent capacity. Dr. Bettye Parker Smith served as interim president 2004-2005, and Dr. Marvalene Hughes served as president 2005-2011.
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. Ronnie Hopkins
The Voorhees University Board of Trustees named Dr. Ronnie Hopkins to serve as the 10th president of the institution, effective July 9, 2021.
“Dr. Hopkins brings a wealth of higher-education experience, expansive leadership, fundraising acumen and vast institutional knowledge. His appointment perfectly positions the college to advance and accelerate the current momentum and focus on enrollment, innovation and fiscal stability. His remarkable demeanor, skills, prudent judgement and interpersonal skills will be a great asset. We welcome him and look forward to his leadership as we ‘begin, believe and become’ in this next chapter,” said Dr. Traci Young-Cooper, vice chairperson of the board.
Prior to being named the president of Voorhees, Hopkins served as interim president and before that he was the institution’s provost and vice president for academic affairs. He is the accreditation liaison and a tenured professor of English.
Hopkins has been in public and higher education for nearly 30 years, serving in senior leadership roles and instructional positions that involve supervision of faculty, staff, students, budgeting, and strategic planning. He has authored more than 10 research articles and received $30 million in grant funding to advance higher education priorities.
Hopkins has conducted international scholarly research and made presentations in Monrovia, Liberia, West Africa; Buea, Cameroon, Central West Africa; the University of Technology at Quibdo, Choco, South America; Guilan, Beijing, and Shanghai, Republic of China; University of Ghana-Legon, Accra, Ghana, West Africa; Merida, Mexico; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; and, Cape Town, South Africa.
He actively serves as an Off-site and On-site Reaffirmation Committee Evaluator for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. He is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Possible Worlds Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization that provides full-service career strategic directions and opportunities in education and employment for disenfranchised citizens impacted by homelessness, incarceration, and HIV/AIDS.
Before coming to Voorhees, he served at Benedict College as founding dean of the Freshman Institute and the School of Honors. Other positions in which he served at Benedict included professor of English, chair of the Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Mass Communication, and dean of the School of Continuing Education, Graduate Studies and Lifelong Learning.
Hopkins earned doctoral and master’s degrees in English from Michigan State University. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English with a secondary teaching certification from North Carolina Central University. He also completed postdoctoral studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and received a Doctor of Humane Letters Honoris Causa from Saint Monica University in Buea, Cameroon, Central West Africa.
Hopkins is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Bible Way Church of Atlas Road, and the Class of 2020 Executive Leadership Academy sponsored by the American Academic Leadership Institute for preparation of experienced college executive officers to become successful presidents and chancellors.
For more information, contact the Office of Communications at 803.780.1191 or at communications@voorhees.edu.
Dr. Gregory J. Vincent
Dr. Gregory J. Vincent is an award-winning educator, executive, acclaimed civil rights attorney, and community leader who serves as the 21st president of Talladega College located in Talladega, Alabama. Dr. Vincent recently served as Professor of Educational Policy and Law, Inaugural Executive Director of the Education and Civil Rights Initiative, and Program Chair of the Ph.D. Senior Diversity Officer Specialization at the University of Kentucky. His personal and educational achievements and career milestones demonstrate his commitment to education, which included serving as Vice President for Diversity and Community Engagement and W.K. Kellogg Professor at the University of Texas at Austin from 2005 to 2017. He also held executive leadership positions and professorships at several flagship universities. In addition, Dr. Vincent served as Grand Sire Archon (Chief Executive Officer and Chairman) of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated (The Boule’), which is the oldest African American Greek- letter organization.
We can trace Dr. Vincent’s foundational and educational roots to New York, New York. The grandson of Caribbean immigrants, Gregory’s father, Cyril Vincent, worked as an electrical engineer and executive. His mother, Gloria, served as a counselor and was elected community school board member for the Bronx School Board District 8 (1970-1983). Both Cyril and Gloria removed the glass ceiling, becoming first-generation college graduates. In addition, his parents bestowed three priceless gifts, unconditional love, a love of reading, and a church home, St. Phillip’s Episcopal Church in Harlem, where he could start his own journey of faith.
Gregory attended New York City public schools and graduated from Bronx High School of Science. He received a full academic scholarship to attend Hobart and William Smith Colleges, where he exemplified the term of scholar-athlete and competed on the school’s basketball, cross country, and track teams. Gregory continued and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Economics. While there, he received the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Award. The award recognizes a student who exhibits exceptional leadership qualities that honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He also served as the 16th President of his Alma Mater. Dr. Vincent earned a Juris Doctor degree from The Ohio State University Mortiz College of Law, where he serves on the National Advisory Council and received the 2012 Distinguished Community Service Award. In addition, Dr. Vincent earned a Doctor of Education from the University of Pennsylvania, where he was named Educator of the Year in 2016.
In addition to his distinguished career in academia, Dr. Vincent is a civil rights attorney. He served as the assistant attorney general in the Office of the Ohio Attorney General and successfully argued several major civil rights cases before the Supreme Court of Ohio. Those impressive wins propelled him to Director for Regional and Legal affairs for the Ohio Civil Rights Commission and vice president and lead counsel for Bank One. Later, Vincent served as the spokesperson for the University of Texas in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin (UT) United States Supreme Court Case, which held that the race-conscious admissions program used by UT was lawful under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Dr. Vincent is also a successful entrepreneur founding Gregory Vincent Law, an Ohio law firm focusing on civil rights, education, and employment. In addition, he co-founded and, from 2018-to 2022, served as CEO of Vincent Strategies, a global diversity, equity, and inclusion consulting firm.
When Dr. Vincent is not in a class, court, or boardroom, you can find him investing his time, talents, network, and resources to help others. He has chaired multiple boards, including the Austin Area Urban League, Communities in Schools of Central Texas, and the Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas. Also, as a Life Member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated, Dr. Vincent chaired the fraternity’s Commission on Racial Justice.
Several organizations and institutions have recognized Dr. Vincent for his distinguished community service. He received a commission as a Kentucky Colonel, the highest honor bestowed by the state’s governor for outstanding community service, in October 2019. In addition, Mayor Steven Adler and the City Council of Austin, Texas, proclaimed June 13, 2017, Dr. Gregory J. Vincent Day in Austin, Texas. Similar honors were bestowed on July 15, 2018, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Louisville, Kentucky, on October 27, 2019. Dr. Vincent was the 2022 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Black Professional Alliance (BPA) and has been named the 2022 recipient of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award from The Ohio State University Mortiz College of Law.
The old saying goes, beside every great man stands a phenomenal woman, and Kim Wilson Vincent, a community leader, award-winning attorney, and business powerhouse in her own right, has partnered with Gregory throughout this incredible journey. Kim is an attorney, entrepreneur, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Expert. She is the founder and owner of Wilson Vincent Law, PLLC, CEO of Vincent Government Solutions, and Co-Founder of Vincent Strategies, LCC, where she now serves as Chief Executive Officer. In 2017, The Texas Governor’s Office commissioned Attorney Vincent a Yellow Rose of Texas for her outstanding work in child advocacy, leadership in the arts, and distinguished community service. She is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated and The Links Incorporated.
Together, the successful couple are the proud parents of six successful children, two daughters and four sons, of which three are HBCU graduates. Continuing Dr. Vincent’s legacy of scholarship, leadership, and community are Ashleigh (Louisiana State University ‘13, Xavier University New Orleans M.Ed. ‘17); Camille (Spelman College ‘14, Georgetown University M.A ‘21, Howard University Ph.D. Student); Gregory Jr. (the University of Texas at Austin ’15); Raymond (Morehouse College ’21); Shawn (Berklee College of Music ’23); and, Cameron (Lake Travis High School ’23).
Dr. Melva K. Wallace
For over twenty years Dr. Melva K. Wallace has worked in higher education as a leader and as a fierce national advocate. Today, she proudly serves as the seventh President and CEO of one of the top private liberal arts colleges in the country, Huston-Tillotson University, an HBCU in Austin, TX.
In 2023, Dr. Wallace was honored by the United Negro College Fund as a president in leadership. Because of her national prominence in higher education as a national spokesperson for HBCUs, she has been featured in a number of magazines and media publications expressing her views on these beloved institutions. In 2023, she was named by Austin Business Journal as one of the Texas 100 Top Influential Professionals to Watch. Wallace is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated.
Wallace received a Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communication and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Grambling State University. She also earned her Ph.D. in Urban Higher Education from Jackson State University.
She is married to her phenomenal husband, Dr. DL Wallace, of Flower Mound, Texas. You can follow her on Instagram at MKW7th to learn more about her views on Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Dr. Dwaun J. Warmack
Dr. Dwaun J. Warmack is the ninth president of Claflin University. Warmack comes to Claflin after serving as president of Harris-Stowe State University and at the time of his appointment was one of the youngest serving presidents of a four-year institution in the nation. Warmack brings more than 20 years of progressive administrative experience in higher education at five distinct higher education institutions. Dr. Warmack provided leadership to more than 450 full and part-time faculty and staff and oversaw a budget in excess of $32 million. After his arrival in 2014, Harris-Stowe witnessed a transformation, unheralded in its 160-year history. Dr. Warmack shepherded more than $15 million in external funding to the institution, including a $5 million grant, the largest in the institution’s history. He cultivated more than 16 partnerships and collaborations with Fortune 500 companies, regional organizations and other higher education institutions to strengthen Harris-Stowe’s infrastructure. During Dr. Warmack’s tenure, Harris-Stowe witnessed its highest gains in student enrollment in decades, posting the highest percentage enrollment increases among Missouri’s public institutions for two consecutive years. Additionally, as part of the institutional strategic plan that he spearheaded, the institution embarked on an ambitious goal of expanding its academic offerings. As a result, degrees, minors, and certificate programs have increased by more than 40 percent. These includes expanding liberal arts and business degrees and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics disciplines (STEM). As a result of his executive leadership to transform the curricular and co-curricular enterprises at Harris-Stowe, the institution is ranked regionally and nationally in various publications and online journals with U.S. News and World Report ranking Harris-Stowe as one of the best HBCU’s and Midwest Universities in the United States. Dr. Warmack’s success at Harris-Stowe has captured national acclaim cumulating in a front-page article in the Chronicle for Higher Education, features in the New York Times, the Detroit Free Press and appearances on CNN, Al Jazeera America, C-SPAN and NPR.
He is considered a scholar-practitioner and possesses a wealth of experience in program design, faculty, student development, assessment and accreditation. Dr. Warmack’s trajectory in higher education has been extraordinary. Prior to his appointment as president of Harris-Stowe, he served as the senior vice president, administration and student services at Bethune-Cookman University overseeing a staff of 170. His successes include oversight of a multi-million dollar renovation of the institution’s residence halls. Prior to his tenure at Bethune-Cookman, he was the associate dean of students at Rhodes College in Memphis, where he had oversight of student affairs including judicial affairs, student activities, Greek life, new student and parent orientation and multicultural affairs. Warmack has also held positions at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, N.C., and Delta State University.
Dr. Warmack provides a brand of leadership that is characterized by an unqualified insistence on data driven decision-making and a commitment to higher education’s current best practices. A visionary with a unique understanding and appreciation for today’s millennial students, he is committed to academic integration and the holistic development of students. Warmack is committed to developing programs that promote diversity, pluralism and cultural competency. Throughout his career, he has championed inclusion, academic excellence and the retention of underrepresented students. Over the years he has presented more than 120 diversity and leadership presentations and workshops to an array of individuals and groups.
To bolster his executive fortes, Dr. Warmack has participated in a variety of professional development opportunities including the American Association of State Colleges and Universities’ (AASCU) Millennium Leadership Initiative (MLI), and Hampton University’s “On The Road to the Presidency: Executive Leadership Summit.”
Dr. Warmack was named the Delta State University “Black Alumnus of the Year” and was inducted into the institution’s Hall of Fame. Other awards and recognitions for his work in higher education and the community include but are not limited to, Delux Magazine Power 100 “Trailblazer Award” Recipient, St. Louis Business Journal “40 under 40”, St. Louis American “Salute to Excellence Young Leader Award”, The Rickey Smiley Foundation “Trailblazer Award”, Who’s Who in Color Most Intriguing People and “Ten Most Dominant HBCU Leaders of 2018.”
Dr. Warmack’s past board memberships include Cortex Innovation Community, the Saint Louis Science Center, the St. Louis Regional Chamber, St. Louis Muny, the Greater St. Louis Area Council Boy Scouts of America, the United Way of Greater St. Louis, Southern Association for College Student Affairs (SACSA) Foundation, and the Alumni Board of Directors for Delta State University. He is a peer reviewer with the Higher Learning Commission, the largest regional accreditation body in the United States.
Dr. Warmack earned a bachelor’s degree in education and master’s degree in sociology from Delta State University. He earned his doctorate in educational leadership with a specialization in higher education from Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, and his post-doctoral studies in educational leadership at Harvard University School of Education.
Dr. Warmack is married to LaKisha Warmack and they have one daughter, Morgan.