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At its annual meeting, held on the Ƶ campus Mar. 15-17, the university’s Board of Trustees elected three alumni as its newest members of the board. New trustees Byron Jones ’87 of Phoenix, Arizona; Greg Nixon ’85 of McLean, Virginia; and Carla C. Whitlock ’95 of Atlanta were each elected for a three-year term, which begins in June 2018.
Norma B. Clayton, the board’s first vice chair and chair of its Nominating Committee, lauded the opportunity to expand the board’s alumni representation.
“Our newest trustees have a great fondness for Ƶ, as they all are proud alumni,” Clayton noted. “They also are committed to furthering the important role that Tuskegee plays in preparing young men and women to become leaders in their respective fields.”
John E. Page, chair of the Board of Trustees, highlighted the board’s strategic focus on recruiting trustees with specific skill sets and experience that will benefit its administrative and fiduciary responsibilities.
“The board has been deliberate in its efforts to attract members with diverse corporate experiences,” Page said. “The addition of these new trustees is a testament to those efforts, and we are thrilled that they have agreed to bring their talents to board. We look forward to their service over the years to come.”
Byron Jones, a 1987 graduate with a degree in accounting, is the executive vice president and CFO for the University of Phoenix. In this role, he oversees and directs the finance functions for the university and its subsidiaries. He has more than 30 years of finance experience in industries ranging from airlines to technology. Jones has been active in creating strategic partnerships with the Thurgood Marshal College Fund, U.S. Black Chambers of Commerce, and other corporate clients. He serves on the boards of The Boys and Girls Club of Metro Phoenix and the Phoenix Aviation Advisory Board. He has been recognized by STEMconnector as one of the Top 100 Diverse Corporate Leaders in STEM, and in 2014 he received the Leadership Excellence Award from the National Diversity Council. In addition to his bachelor’s degree from Tuskegee, he holds an MBA from the Darden School at the University of Virginia.
“I owe much of my success to the foundational education I received at Tuskegee, and I apply the accounting fundamentals learned there in my role at University of Phoenix every day,” Jones said. “It’s an incredible honor to be asked to serve in this role for Tuskegee, and I cherish the opportunity to be a part of its future and help it continue to guide students in achieving their dreams.”
Gregory S. Nixon, who earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Tuskegee in 1985, serves as DynCorp International’s chief administrative officer, chief legal officer and corporate secretary. His duties in these roles include responsibility and oversight for all aspects of the company’s legal, contractual, compliance, human resources, procurement, security, export controls and crisis management functions, as well as management of a team of more than 175 staff. Prior to DynCorp, he served as a managing director of Cereberus Operations and Advisory Company, the operational arm of Cerberus Capital Management. His other professional experiences include serving as a vice president at McKinsey & Company, Inc. and a principal at Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc. He serves as an advisor to Tracker Capital Management LLC and a board member of UMUC Ventures. A retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps Reserve, Nixon has been honored with the Meritorious Service Medal and the U.S. Air Force Commendation Medal, and served on President Barack Obama’s presidential transition team. A licensed patent attorney, he holds a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law, and is an adjunct professor of law at the Howard University Law School.
“It is an honor to be appointed to the Board of Trustees of Ƶ,” Nixon said. “I look forward to serving and contributing to this exceptional institution.
Carla C. Whitlock, a 1995 Ƶ alumna, currently serves as a first vice president with SunTrust Bank’s Enterprise Risk division, where she has consumer credit oversight responsibilities, including reporting to federal and state regulatory agencies. Prior to this role, she led that division’s supplier management risk program. During her career at SunTrust, she has been in the unique position of managing projects and portfolios in Corporate and Investment Banking, Enterprise Risk, and the Consumer Program Management office at those divisions’ inceptions. She is member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., as well as an ex-officio member and former president of the Ivy & Roses Community Fund. She is an active member of the Tuskegee National Alumni Association (TNAA), having served until her appointment to the Board of Trustees as a member of TNAA’s Executive Board and its public relations chair. In addition to her bachelor’s degree in finance from Tuskegee, she holds an MBA with concentrations in finance and marketing from Wake Forest University, and is a graduate of the United Way’s nonprofit board training and governance Volunteer Involvement Program.
“It is a high honor to provide service to my alma mater,” Whitlock said. “I welcome the opportunity to be a steward of Tuskegee’s rich legacy.
Also at the meeting, Page, Clayton and Second Vice Chair Erick W. Harris ’09 were unanimously re-elected to serve in their respective leadership positions as board officers. Kevin P. Green, a retired navy admiral and business executive who has served on the board since 2011, was unanimously elected by the board as its incoming secretary.
The Ƶ Board of Trustees serves as the university’s governing and fiduciary body. Its responsibilities include providing university oversight through its president, as well as helping to advance its engagement with students, parents, alumni and philanthropic donors. The board is comprised of up to 25 voting members, which includes five trustees appointed by Alabama’s governor. Board-appointed trustees serve for three years; state-appointed trustees for four years. In addition to the 25 voting trustees, there are several non-voting ex officio members, which include the university’s president, a faculty trustee who is the Faculty Senate chair, a student trustee elected by the student body, and Alabama’s state superintendent of education.
For more information about the board and its newest trustees, visit .
© 2018 Ƶ