The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) Board of Directors met Oct. 15-16 in New York City and completed several action items, including the addition of a new member school, the appointment of new board directors and the reappointment of some existing board directors.
St. Philip’s College in Texas was approved by the board to become the 55th TMCF member school. St. Philip’s has two campuses in San Antonio and is the nation’s only federally designated historically Black college (HBC) and Hispanic-serving institution (HSI).
“I am inspired by the excellence that is St. Philip’s College,” TMCF President & CEO Dr. Harry L. Williams said. “President Dr. Adena Loston has demonstrated at St. Philips what excellence looks like, and we are delighted to welcome the remarkable people—students, faculty and staff to the TMCF community.”
Two new board directors were appointed: Cynthia Bowman with Apple and Myron Frazier with Sam’s Club. Bowman serves as the vice president of diversity and inclusion at Apple, while Frazier is the senior vice president of private brand and sourcing at Sam’s Club.
Two existing directors were reappointed to new three-year terms. They are:
- Michelle Nettles, Manpower Group
- Melonie Parker, Google
In other board news:
- Machell W. Mims (Lowes) was appointed to the human resources committee.
- The board established an ad hoc development committee to facilitate partnerships and assist fundraising efforts. The committee is co-chaired by Toni Townes-Whitley (SAIC) and Jeffrey J. Hurd (Equitable).
- In the president’s report, Dr. Williams discussed new marketing initiatives, the financial health of the organization, a review of financial projections, a strategy to build student capacity, a recap of regional events, and a look ahead at 2025 fundraising activities. Additionally, he shared TMCF’s progress related to the key performance indicators of revenue, impact, performance and human capital.
- The Dr. N. Joyce Payne Center for Social Justice (Payne Center) provided an overview of its work and presented findings from the 2024 Black Thriving in America report.
Chair Oden announced that the next TMCF Board of Directors meeting is scheduled for April 29-30, 2025, at the Alabama State University campus in Montgomery, Alabama.
