Appointed Executive Director for the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), John S. Wilson will be on the campus of Southern University A & M College in Baton Rouge on tomorrow, October 16, 2009.  Wilson is set to address the Southern University Board of Supervisors at 9 a.m. on the 2^nd floor of the J.S. Clark Administration Bldg. Wilson will discuss his goals for HBCUs, and more specifically his vision for the Southern University System.  This event is open to the public.

"We are absolutely delighted to have a distinguished guest such as John Wilson visiting with the Southern University System," said President Kassie Freeman.  "I am certain that he will accurately convey President Obama's vision for the success and perpetuity of all HBCUs."

Holding this prestigious position, Wilson currently works with the presidentially appointed HBCU Board of Advisors and assists the Secretary as liaison between the executive branch and HBCUs. He also collaborates with 32 federal agencies that support HBCUs through federal grants and contracts.

Wilson has been an associate professor of higher education at George Washington University (GWU) since 2006, when he took research leave as executive dean of GWU's Virginia campus, a post he has held since 2002.

In 2001, he worked on the campus of George Washington University where he developed and implemented a strategic plan. He also spent 16 years at MIT, where he served as director of foundation relations and assistant provost. As director, Wilson assisted in leading two major capital campaigns that raised a combined total of nearly $3 billion.

Wilson also held several teaching positions during more than a decade in Harvard University's Afro-American Studies Department, as well as in their Graduate School of Education. His primary research and teaching interests include advancement and finance in higher education, and the transformation of aspiring college and universities, especially HBCUs.

Wilson has served as a board member for Spelman College, and for the Independent Federal Savings Bank in Washington, D.C. He also has served as an official advisor to a variety of efforts to improve black colleges, including initiatives led by the Kresge Foundation, the Mott Foundation, and the United Negro College Fund (UNCF). He has received distinguished alumni awards from Morehouse College and from the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO).

Wilson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Morehouse College, a Master of Theological Studies degree from Harvard University, and both master's and doctoral degrees in educational administration, planning, and social policy, also from Harvard University.