Today, HBCU Campaign Fund‘s (HCF) Founder, President and CEO Demetrius Johnson, Jr., has announced the selection of retiring Tennessee State University President Dr. Glenda Glover as an honoree of the Dr. Lawrence A. Davis Jr. Trailblazer of Higher Education Award among the eighth class of The Ten Most Dominant HBCU Leaders of 2025. The Dr. Lawrence A. Davis Jr. Trailblazer of Higher Education Award is the highest honor that recognizes the long-given dedication and contributions that an retiring or retired individual has provided to the field of higher education. In August 2023, Dr. Glover announced that she would retire following the 2023-2024 academic year.

Dr. Glover will join the previously announced honorees, which includes Bishop State Community College President Olivier Charles, Lawson State Community College President Dr. Cynthia Anthony, and Clark Atlanta University’s HBCU Executive Leadership Institute Director Dr. Phyllis Worthy Dawkins.

A champion for our nation’s HBCUs and a servant leader committed to excellence, upholding the praise of being honored among the Ten Most Dominant HBCU Leaders is no stranger to President Glover, as she was named to the fourth class in 2021.

“Your commitment, contributions, dedication, and passion to the institution where you got your start has been a remarkable journey, and your character as a champion of our nation’s HBCUs has been felt by countless students, faculty, staff, and alumni at TSU and others of HBCUs. Your presence will dearly missed on campus and during football season at the Southern Heritage Classic,” said HCF Founder, President and CEO Demetrius Johnson, Jr. “Thank you for your heartfelt leadership that has led TSU to higher heights. Madam President, you have fought an awesome fight, and your legacy will continue to be endured by your successors. Congratulations on your retirement, and may you be filled with continued contentment and success.”

The Ten Most Dominant HBCU Leaders Award & Class is a national recognition created by the HBCU Campaign Fund that identifies ten chancellors and presidents, and as of 2024, sports-affiliated individuals serving in the role at an HBCU, MSI, or affiliated with who exemplify a prominent and influential role in leadership and model the characteristics of following responsibilities in the progression of an institution or entity forward.

Known as a national expert and leader, Dr. Glover has served as President of Tennessee State University since January 2013, a position that she has held for over a decade and made history as the institution’s first female president. Her tenure has been marked by consecutive years of record enrollment, successfully steering the institution through the pandemic, and securing a record $100 million-plus in research awards. Under her leadership the TSU endowment doubled to $100 million, new buildings, including a new residence hall, and securing $250 million from the State of Tennessee, the largest one-time appropriation from a state to an HBCU.

“Serving as President of Tennessee State University has been the honor of a lifetime. Words cannot express the emotions I have as I stand before you. TSU prepared me for every accomplishment I have achieved throughout my career. This is where I got my start, where the seeds of excellence were sown for a young teenager from south Memphis who aspired to changed the world.”

– Dr. Glenda Glover

Her leadership has soared TSU’s status as one of the nation’s preeminent HBCUs, and her efforts have earned her the role of Vice Chair of President Biden’s HBCU Board of Advisors. Dr. Glover also served as international president of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and she is one of two African American women in the nation to hold a combination of Ph.D., CPA, and JD.

The honorees will be fully announced as The Ten Most Dominant HBCU Leaders of 2025 and Eighth Class in early 2025.

About the HBCU Campaign Fund
The HBCU Campaign Fund (HCF) was founded in 2012 and is one of the nation’s minority educational organizations. HCF remains a strong advocate for students and higher education. The mission of HCF is to support the significance and raise funds for scholarships, programs, and for private and public HBCUs and MSIs. For more information, visit www.hbcucampaignfund.org.

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