Desireé C. Boykin, senior vice president and general counsel at the United Negro College Fund, recently received the 2022 Vanguard Award from the Higher Education Leadership Foundation. She was also inducted into the foundation’s Sankofa Hall of Leadership. The foundation recognizes individuals for their enduring and undeniable leadership and influence on the continued excellence of historically Black colleges and universities.
“I am so excited and humbled. Education is paramount in my family and many of us earned our education at an HBCU,” Boykin said. “Presidents of these prestigious institutions help make it possible for thousands of deserving students to earn an education and I am incredibly grateful that they chose to recognize my commitment to their success. I am also grateful to my family and my UNCF Team for their support and making this possible.”
Prior to joining UNCF in 2002, Boykin was an associate attorney at the law office of John Paul Simpkins, where she was responsible for all phases of general civil practice including personal injury, product liability, family law, and medical malpractice.
Boykin is a graduate of Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she majored in communication. She holds a juris doctorate from the Howard University School of Law.
