Longtime president and CEO of Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) Dwayne Ashley announced Wednesday he will resign his position to resume work in his Louisiana real estate business, officials said.
Ashley, who served 10 years with TMCF, planned his departure for more than a year and founder Dr. Joyce Payne will run the organization in the interim.
During his tenure, Ashley oversaw broad increase and expansion of TMCF’s programming, revenue and influence in Black education circles. He also authored numerous books and articles about issues like the academic achievement gap among minorities.
“I’m very proud of what the Thurgood Marshall College Fund has accomplished in my 10 years with the organization,” Ashley said in a written statement. “We have awarded more than $100 million in leadership development, programmatic and capacity building support to our 47 member public historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU), and scholarships to students attending member schools.”
He added that “TMCF has become one of the strongest voices for students of color and our member institutions.
“I have the comfort of knowing that the organization is as strong as it’s ever been, and will certainly remain an invaluable asset to our country,” Ashley said.
Ashley began his career in the nonprofit sector as a college student fundraising for the United Negro College Fund. He spearheaded studies for TMCF such as the Economic Impact Snapshot of Public HBCUs and the 2006 gender study, “Understanding Gender at Public Historically Black Colleges and Universities.”
Ashley, a Houston native, has won numerous accolades for his work in higher education and leadership