The White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities now has a new leader at its helm.
Ivory A. Toldson, who was named executive director of the Initiative last year after serving two years as deputy director, has resigned. He has been replaced by Kim Hunter Reed.
Former executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Ivory A. Toldson (left), and the newly named executive director of the Initiative Kim Hunter Reed (right). (Twitter Photos)
Prior to his role at the Initiative, Toldson served as an associate professor at Howard University, senior research analyst for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, and editor-in-chief of The Journal of Negro Education. He also taught at Southern University.
A prolific writer and scholar, with more than 60 publications under his belt, Toldson has been recognized for his effort to debunk myths surrounding African Americans.
He graduated from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, with a bachelor’s in psychology. He earned a master’s degree in counselor education at Pennsylvania State University and a doctorate from Temple University in Philadelphia.
Toldson will now serve as director of The Quality Education for Minorities (QEM) Network, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit dedicated to improving education for minorities throughout the nation. He will also re-assume his position on the faculty at Howard.
Reed moves into her new position with the Initiative after serving since March as a deputy undersecretary with the U.S. Department of Education.
Before joining the department, Reed was a principal at HCM Strategists LLC, a public policy and advocacy consulting firm in Washington, D.C., focused on advancing effective solutions in health and education. She also previously served as chief of staff for the Louisiana Board of Regents and executive vice president of the University of Louisiana System.
Reed is a two-time graduate of Louisiana State University, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism in 1987 and a master’s degree from the University’s E. J. Ourso College of Business in 1995.
