UNCF and the Higher Education Leadership Foundation (H.E.L.F.) announce their inaugural Presidential Leadership Institute cohort (PLI) made possible by the Kresge Foundation. Developed through a partnership with UNCF’s Executive Leadership Institute, PLI will intentionally engage presidents at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and predominantly Black institutions (PBIs) as they navigate their first two years of leadership.
This year’s cohort includes:
- Thomas K. Hudson, J.D., Jackson State University
- Vernell Bennett-Fairs, Ed.D, LeMoyne-Owen College
- Bobbie Knight, J.D., Miles College
- Kevin James, Ed.D., Morris Brown College
- Cheryl Evans Jones, Ph.D., Paine College
- Ivy R. Taylor, Ed.D., Rust College
- Nicole Pride, Ed.D., West Virginia State University
- Ronnie Hopkins, Ph.D., Voorhees College
UNCF and H.E.L.F. will work with a cohort of eight presidents to deepen relationships and share best practices among current and former HBCU leaders. Through their engagement, the cohort will deepen their ability to balance internal and external leadership roles, articulate their vision and enlist others to support visionary institutional change. The cohort will receive training and mentorship by H.E.L.F. senior fellows who are current or former HBCU presidents. The group will meet in June and December of 2021. Board members at each participating institution will be invited to join UNCF’s Executive Leadership Series, offering professional development and networking for board members at HBCUs and PBIs.
“The curriculum assists presidents during their first year of leading HBCUs,” said Herman Felton, J.D., Ph.D., principal of H.E.L.F. and president of Wiley College. “Our research-based program utilizes best practices that complement and enhance the skills these presidents have developed throughout their leadership career. H.E.L.F.’s dynamic faculty and senior fellows have a wide variety of backgrounds and are from higher education institutions across our nation. They have completed successful tenures as presidents, and some have served multiple presidencies at public and private institutions.”
“HBCUs are hubs of thought leadership and produce the best and the brightest Black leaders,” said Dr. Michael Lomax, president and CEO of UNCF. “This leadership starts at the top with executive officers who are dedicated to continuing the legacy of HBCUs as spaces of transformation and innovation. This is why the work to build capacity and leadership within our HBCU presidents is so important; we will continue to afford them with opportunities that illustrate their diverse skillsets while preparing them for leading their respective campuses.”
During the summer, H.E.L.F. will host the inaugural PLI cohort for a series of trainings that will focus on the academic enterprise with intentional focus on finances, brand management and value proposition, accreditation, institutional effectiveness and the nuances of situational leadership. The convening will take place at Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens, FL.
Source: https://uncf.org/news/uncf-higher-education-leadership-foundation-selects-inaugural-class-of-presidential-leadership-institute
