Who Will Save Hillman? Part III: Alumni Affairs
Hillman University boasts one of the most impressive alumni base of any institution of higher education. Chancellor Wayne must hire someone who has the experience with building relationships — and collecting those coins.
Who Will Save Hillman? Part 1: The Medical School.
Who Will Save Hillman Part II: The Law School
Overview
Over the last two days, I have been presenting a list of qualified candidates who I feel are critical to the forward advancement of Hillman. Chancellor Wayne has a long list of Hillmanites to choose from when he finally selects a law school and medical school dean. The position of Alumni Affairs Director is just as critical — if not more critical — to Hillman’s autonomy than probably any other position within his administration, including his own. The Hillman Alumni Association are a notoriously difficult bunch of people to galvanize around a common cause but, when that cause is Hillman, the 200,000+ plus alumni base always make themselves heard. The director of alumni affairs (Not to be confused with the President of the National Alumni Assocaition) must be a tactful, yet firm relationship manager with an ability to overlook pettiness while demand top notch results from industry leaders. The position requires a firm grasp on the culture of Hillman, while keeping focus on the ever-changing landscape of higher education. The people I have put together for this list range from former alumni association presidents, to marketing and technology vice-presidents. The Director of Alumni Affairs is a masterful communicator, staunch defender of Hillman, and student-centered. Here is a brief list of qualified alumni I believe would be perfect in assisting Dr. Dwayne in rebuilding Hillman:
Alumni Affairs
Dr. Jaleesa Vinson
It is highly unlikely that Dr. Vinson would leave her own company with a high six-figure salary to return to her alma mater for considerable less money and prestige but, if anybody has the credentials, experience, and patience to improve the relationship between the Hillman alumni and their university, it is her. Dr. Vinson graduated with a degree in business administration from Hillman in 1990. In 1991, after working for E.H. Wright Industries in the business strategy department, Vinson stepped out on faith and started her own company, Vinson Staffing, Inc. a temporary staffing agency to assist Hillman students and new alum find work. Vinson’s vision grew and in 1995, she opened a 2nd office in Washington DC. Since the company’s founding, Vinson has placed over 5,000 Hillman students and alum in corporate and teaching positions. In 2000, Vinson was elected to the Hillman National Alumni Association as Vice-President. She held the position for nearly 7 years until 2007, when was was elected President after defeating longtime Hillman NAA President Marion Gilbert — effectively ending her 13-year term. Under her leadership, due-paying alumni members rose nearly 30%. Alumni donations went from an average of $13 million a year in 2007 to more than $40M by 2010. Vinson earned her MBA and Doctorate in Creative Enterprise in 2011 from Virginia A&M. She has one daughter — Imani who is in her final year at Fisk.
If Dr. Dwayne wanted to turn things around — and fast, adding Dr. Vinson to his team is undoubtedly the quickest way to do so. Dr. Vinson has a proven track record of engaging Hillman alumni and the numbers don’t lie: before she rose to head the National Alumni Association as its president, the organization was averaging about $1,000,000 a month in donations. By the time she left the post 4 years later, the number had tripled to more than $3,000,000 a month. Attracting Dr. Vinson back to Hillman is going to be a hell of a task for Chancellor Dwayne as many alumni still feel personal loyalty to Dr. Davenport. After all, the woman headed the institution for more than 20 years. Bringing Dr. Vinson back as alumni director would leave a bad taste in the mouths of many of Hillman’s most power alumni. The same forces who engineered her removal as alumni president would undoubtedly be the same forces that would block her appointed as director. Still, Vinson work as alumni president cannot be denied. It may take some extreme schmoozing on the part of Dr. Wayne to pull her back to The Hill but it is so worth the try. Vinson still has the rapport with many notable alumni, has built a considerable reputation with many top Fortune 500 Companies through her staffing agency, and has the educational experience to boot. According to my sources, Dr. Vincent was being considered for the Truth University Provost position. That dream quickly died when TU named Hillman’s former President Dr. Davenport to the post who will begin her term in January of 2018.
Dr. Whitley Gilbert Wayne.
It is hard to argue with the fact that Dr. Whitley Gilbert-Wayne is one of the BADDEST University First Ladies to ever do it. Not since the days of old have we seen a more polished, poised, proper, and pristine first lady at the helm of a university. As gorgeous and captivating as Dr. Gilbert-Wayne is, to reduce her to an aesthetic would almost be as insulting as not considering her on at least the most basic level for the position of Alumni Director. Dr. Gilbert-Wayne is an accomplished author, public speaker, corporate art buyer, and higher education socialite. She graduated Hillman in 1992 with a degree in art history and earned a Master’s in Fine Arts at the University of Tokyo in 1995 before relocating back to the states to earn a doctorate in Higher Education. Dr. Gilbert-Wayne’s dissertation, “How African Art Can Save Historically Black Colleges” was published in several Higher Education journals. In 2004, she returned briefly to Hillman as an associate professor of art history before relocating to Brooklyn, New York to assist her husband in getting Genius, Black, Inc. off of the ground. Dr. Gilbert-Wayne worked tirelessly as the secretary, office manager, accountant, book keeper, and company historian to help her husband make his dream a reality. All of her hard work finally paid off in 2011 when Genius Black, Inc. released its first video game console, The Onyx. The game console sold over 1,000,000 units in its first month on the market and instantly catapulted the Wayne’s into a social and financial status previously uncharted. Dr. Gilbert-Wayne has served Hillman since 2010 as a member of the Board of Trustees but stepped down after her husband Chancellor Wayne was appointed to run Hillman University in 2015.
Ron Johnson, MBA
Ron Johnson is a two-time graduate of Hillman University. He is also co-founder and current President and CEO of Genius Black, Inc. stepping in the position in 2013 after Dr. Wayne left the company to take the helm of Hillman. Mr. Johnson was the Chief Operating Officer of the company he now heads and is listed as a co-founder with Dr. Wayne on the company’s website. In addition to running one of the fastest growing start-up tech companies in the nation, Mr. Johnson is an accomplished entrepreneur. Currently, he owns several luxury car dealerships in the midwest and recently opening an exclusive lurxury dealership on the south-side of Chicago in 2015. Johnson is part owner of several blues cafes around the country. In 2017, Black Money Magazine estimated that Johnson had a reported net worth of just under $30 million dollars. It is highly unlikely that Johnson will leave his post as head man at Genius Black, Inc. to return to a senior level administrative position at Hillman. Johnson is one of the most visible Hillman alum; he is still very active in his undergraduate fraternity, Kappa Lambda Nu, and has frequented homecoming every since since he first enrolled at the university in 1987. While it’s unlikely he’ll serve in Dr. Wayne’s cabinet, the least we can hope is that he write a check to help chip away at the nearly $40-million-dollar deficit Hillman currently faces.
Dr. Charmaine T. Brown
Profile
Dr. Brown is a 1995 graduate of Hillman University. She earned her undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree in communications from Hillman’s Kathy Hughes School of Communications. Brown, a native of Brooklyn, New York has been employed by E.H. Wright Industries since 1996 when she joined their communications department as a data entry clerk. Brown eventually worked her way up the ladder and in 2000, was promoted to Associate Director of Corporate Strategy. She held the position for 5 years before before being named Director in 2005. In 2011, Brown was named Interim Vice-President of Marketing and held the position for 2 years before officially accepting the position as Vice President of Marketing and Communications in 2013. In her current position, Brown oversees all marketing efforts, corporate partnerships, and relationship management initiatives. She was instrumental in launching the E.H. Wright “Black Moms Matter” social media campaign — a first of its kind for a large scale corporation. She is a Lifetime Member of the Hillman National Alumni Association, a member of the the National Association of Black Marketing Professionals, and an honorary member of Alpha Delta Rho Sorority, Inc.
Dr. Lena J. Simon
Profile
Dr. Simon is a world renowned author, journalist, historian, poet, writer, professor, and playwright. After graduating Hillman University in 1995 with a degree in English, Simon relocated to Atlanta to attend Mission College, earning a masters and PhD in African-American Studies. Simon has written several books on Dr. Betty Shabazz, the wife of Malcolm X and has been recognized by the American Humanities Associations as a “leading contributor in the field of Arts and Humanities through literature, poetry, and song.” Simon has been a professor of Hip-Studies and Journalism since 2004 and is widely credited with creating one of the first-ever college-level curriculums centered on Black women’s contributions to hip-hop. She is “spiritually married” to nationally syndicated radio host and self-proclaimed Pan-Africanist guru Baba Shaza Zulu. They have 3 children together, sons Z’aire 20, and Malik 19, and daughter Ashanti 11.
President Byron Douglass III
Profile
If President Dwayne doesn’t get his act together, and soon, the alumni may be looking to replace him with a man that will suddenly find himself with a lot of free time on his hands come January. It is still too early to call for Dr. Wayne’s dismissal, but the truth of the matter is, if Dr. Wayne doesn’t do something and fast, more and more alumni will be looking to replace him with our most visible and powerful Hillman alumni — and it would not be hard to convince them either. President Douglass is a 3rd generation Hillmanite, former state legislature, Senator and Governor. Oh yeah: he’s also the current President of the most powerful country in the nation. Rumor has it that President Douglass has been approached by several high ranking Hillman alumni about possibly taking the helm of Hillman should the top position “suddenly become available.” He has vehemently denied any interest in the position saying that he wants to take some time to “write a few books, drink a few bottles of wine, and sleep in til noon.” Still, we can’t help but imagine the transformation he would bring to Hillman. If he runs Hillman like he runs the country, that means the university is likely to see a balanced budget, more women of color in high profile positions, an elevated rapport for Hillman in Asian and African countries, and an increase in support for teachers and teacher training initiatives. Hmmm…perhaps a Douglass presidency wouldn’t be half bad….President Douglass likely would never even consider a position like alumni director. Perhaps, he would consider serving on the alumni association board. We can only hope!
Dr. Dorothy Dandridge Davenport
Profile
Lucifer would have a greater chance at getting back into Heaven than we have of Dr. Davenport ever coming back to Hillman. Even after 20 years of service, the way she was removed from her post left a bad taste in many of our mouths. Still, it is no secret that Dr. Davenport is of one Hillman’s most visible and prominent alumni. She should consider the position as Alumni President — although her appointment would anger and alienate just as many Hillmanites as it would energize and fire up. Dr. Davenport will begin her post as President of Truth University in January 2018.
Marian Gilbert
Profile
Marian Gilbert is Hillman University’s longest serving National Alumni President (13 years) and longest serving Board of Trustee member- at -large (32 years). Gilbert has had more influence on the trajectory of Hillman than probably all of the people on this list and the previous two combined. She is a former Miss Hillman and has been recognized at least a dozen times in the past 40 years as being the highest donating alumni in the nation. There is a reason why Ms. Gilbert’s picture hangs in Gilbert Hall…and its not because of her famous grandfather-in-law. Ms. Gilbert is bad all by herself. She is the mother of First Lady Whitley Gilbert-Wayne and mother-in-law of Chancellor Wayne. But who cares? The nepotism and cronyism run so rampant at Hillman since its founding that no one has bothered to mention the fact that three families (The Souljay’s, The Gilbert’s, and The Hillman’s) have occupied no less than half of the Board of Trustees seats since 1917. That’s 100 years, folks; What’s another 3 or 4 years?
Conclusion
Whatever Dr. Wayne decides to do, he needs to do it with the utmost promptness. The alumni’s patience has already begun to run out and he is in the last year of his of 3-year contract. I often wonder why Dr. Wayne would leave Genius Black, Inc. — a multi-billion-dollar software company and 6 million dollars a year salary- to come back to an alma mater riddled with so much strife and controversy. Truth of the matter is, if anybody could turn Hillman around, it is him. Though he lacks the educational experience of a traditional college president, the fact that Dr. Wayne is not from the “Whorehouse of Worn and Torn HBCU Has-Been Leadership” is something I would like to think is very becoming of him. If Hillman is going to pull itself out of this hole it is keeps digging, it is going to take a very real and specific core of skills to return Her to the days of the “Golden Era.”. If he does not figure something out, my alma mater is going to find itself facing a fate similar to other HBCUS that have fallen apart because of lackluster leadership. I am not a fan of Dr. Davenport. In fact, I welcome the change and youth that Dr. Wayne brings to the positon. He is young, he is a S.T.E.M. guy, and he has the abilities to take Hillman to the next level.
But the Hillman alumni will only be patient for so long.
Dear Dr. Wayne,
Get it together.
Signed,
Marcus E.B. DuKing X
Class of 2005
