The New York-based Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) on Monday announced the appointment of Johnny C. Taylor as president and CEO of the scholarship and institutional support organization. Taylor, a Charlotte, N.C.-based attorney and former chair of the Society for Human Resource Management organization, succeeds Dwayne Ashley as head of the fund, which represents and helps support 47 public historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and six law schools.
“We all agree that Johnny is a well-rounded executive with senior–level legal, human resources, administrative and general management experience that will add great value to the continued growth and development of the fund,” said James Mitchell, chair of the presidential search committee, in a statement.
Over the past 23 years, TMCF has granted more than $100 million in leadership development, programmatic, and capacity support and scholarships assisting more than 12,000 students to attend public HBCUs.
Taylor has extensive experience as a fundraiser after having served on the board of trustees for Johnson C. Smith University, a historically Black institution, and Drake University. He has also served on the TMCF board of directors, the University of Miami’s President’s Council and the Board of Visitors of Queens University of Charlotte in North Carolina.
Taylor’s professional background includes corporate management experience with InterActiveCorp (IAC) – initially as senior vice president of human resources and subsequently as the president and CEO of IAC’s search engine, RushmoreDrive.com. Before joining IAC, Taylor was a partner in the McGuire Woods law firm and president of the firm’s human resource consulting business.
“I believe that my experiences as an attorney, human resources executive, corporate leader and entrepreneur will serve me well at the fund,”
Taylor said. “I have a passion for education and particularly for African-Americans in higher education.”
Taylor earned a Bachelor of Science in Communication from the University of Miami; a Master of Arts in Mass Communication from Drake University; and J.D. from the Drake University Law School.