Fisk University, the highly regarded historically Black college in Nashville, has named two candidates to lead the university. Both candidates soon will visit the Fisk campus for interviews and meetings with the campus community. Fisk has chosen two finalists with far different resumes. One has a background in business while the other has had a career largely in academia, although he too has business experience.
Lawrence M. Drake II is chair and CEO of Hope 360°, an executive management advisory firm. He is the former managing director of the West African division of Coca-Cola. He has also held executive positions at Kraft, Cablevision, and PepsiCo.
Drake attended Fisk from 1972 to 1975 but earned his bachelor’s degree at Georgia State University. He holds an MBA from Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri, and is currently studying for a master’s degree and Ph.D. in psychology from Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, California.
H. James Williams is dean of the Seidman College of Business at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan. He has taught at Georgetown University, Florida A&M University, and Texas Southern University.
A native of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Dr. Williams is a graduate of North Carolina Central University in Durham. He holds an MBA from the University of Wisconsin, two law degrees from the Georgetown University Law Center, and a Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Georgia.
Update: On December 5, Dr. Williams was selected as Fisk’s 15th president.
