Two Tau Bates Among Appointees to Presidential Board of Advisors on HBCUs

On March 31, 2022, President Biden announced his intent to appoint a group of qualified and diverse leaders to the President’s Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The board will advance the goal of the HBCU initiative, which was established by the Carter Administration. The initiative is a dedicated policymaking effort to eliminate the barriers that HBCUs face in providing education to growing numbers of students. 

Members of the board are appointed by the President and include representatives of HBCUs, other institutions of higher education, business and financial institutions, private foundations, and secondary education.

Among the eighteen individuals appointed, two of them are TBP members: Makola M. Abdullah, Ph.D., DC A ’90, and Lisa P. Jackson, LA B ’93.

Makola M. Abdullah, Ph.D., DC Alpha ’90 

Abdullah is the 14th President of Virginia State University (VSU) and is a member of several boards and committees across the country including the Board of Trustees for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on College, the Council of Presidents for Virginia Institutions of Higher Education, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Prior to his appointment as President of VSU, Dr. Abdullah served in administrative leadership roles at Bethune-Cookman University, Florida Memorial University, and Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. He earned his undergraduate degree from Howard University in civil engineering and his doctorate and master’s degrees in civil engineering from Northwestern University. He is also the youngest African American to receive a Ph.D. in engineering. 

Lisa P. Jackson, LA Beta ’83

As Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives, Jackson leads the company’s environmental initiatives, racial equity and justice initiative, global education policy programs, product accessibility efforts, corporate giving and philanthropic partnerships, and worldwide government affairs. She served as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency under President Barack Obama and was the first Black person to hold the position. She also served as Chief of Staff to New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine and as Commissioner of New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection, following almost 20 years with the EPA. She is recognized as a leader in business and sustainability by numerous publications. Jackson holds a master’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University and a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Tulane University. She serves on the boards of Tulane University, The American Film Institute, and Conservation International.

To read more about the appointees, please visit here.