UNCF’s Chief Fundraiser Receives Higher Education Leadership Foundation’s 2024 Top Award
Dr. Maurice Jenkins, Jr., UNCF’s Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer, recently received the 2024 Dr. Eugene D. Stevenson, Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award from the Higher Education Leadership Foundation (H.E.L.F.), the highest honor bestowed by the foundation. Jenkins was awarded the Dr., Eugene D. Stevenson, Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award at the foundation’s summer Inspire Leadership Institute Awards Gala, conducted in June at Wiley University, one of UNCF’s member HBCUs.
Awardees are selected for their distinguished careers as exceptional leaders who have significantly impacted higher education, especially HBCUs, according to a press release from Wiley University. The leadership institute awards gala hosted over 40 higher education professionals and 12 HBCU presidents and CEOs from across America, presenting five legendary HBCU leaders with awards.
“This year’s honorees are examples of the genius that is leading and supporting HBCUs,” said Dr. Herman J. Felton, Jr., H.E.L.F. co-founder and the 17th president and CEO of Wiley University, in the press release. “Each award recipient has a career that is distinguished and has significantly contributed to the strengthening of our HBCUs. The Higher Education Leadership Foundation is honored to recognize each of these trailblazers for their service, innovation and commitment to HBCUs and the students we serve.”
H.E.L.F. was established in 2015 with the goal of providing learning and mentoring opportunities for current and aspiring leaders. It works to ensure HBCUs survive and thrive. The organization champions the ascendance of HBCU leaders.
Jenkins raised over $1.7 billion for HBCUs, including UNCF’s 37 member colleges and universities, for scholarships to help underserved students go to and through college. Jenkins, a native of Washington, DC, attended Howard University and the University of Maryland-College Park for undergraduate studies. He attended Clark Atlanta University, a UNCF-member HBCU, for graduate school. Jenkins received the Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Allen University in May 2019 and Wilberforce University in May 2023.
For over 30 years, Jenkins has had an extensive career at UNCF. He joined the organization in 1990 as a project manager. For many years, he oversaw southeast field operations, supervising one of three UNCF regional offices in the country and fundraising activities of nine UNCF offices covering 13 southern states, with an annual goal of $18.8 million. In 2011, Jenkins was appointed UNCF executive vice president for field fundraising efforts, with an annual campaign goal of $40.2 million focusing on fundraising strategy and execution for UNCF’s local offices across the country. In 2012, Jenkins was selected to lead UNCF’s consolidated development operation. Now, he is responsible for UNCF’s total annual campaign goal of $64.6 million.
Previous UNCF recipients of the H.E.L.F. Lifetime Achievement award include Dr. Michael Lomax, president and CEO of UNCF, and Desireé C. Boykin, Esq., UNCF’s senior vice president, general counsel and secretary of the corporation.
Jenkins has received numerous awards including NAACP “Charles Harper Leadership” Award, 2011 Martin Luther King, Jr. Foundation MLK Memorial Award, Alpha Phi Alpha Presidential Citation, Sadie Grice Funny Scholarship Foundation’s Chairman (Corporate and Business), YMCA Partner with Youth Award, Alpha Phi Alpha Presidential Citation and Allgood Road Man of the Year Award.