George Cotton was hired as vice president for university advancement at Florida A&M University in April 2015. According to Cotton, annual fundraising has increased from $3 million to $8.5 million during his tenure. Cotton resigned from his post on January 5.
On December 1, Cotton filed a complaint with the university’s Office of Audit and Compliance charging that new university president Larry Robinson and three trustees had conspired to remove him from his post. President Robinson and the university have not commented publicly on Cotton’s resignation.
Before joining the staff at Florida A&M University, Cotton was assistant vice president for major and planned gifts at the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He holds master’s degree in political science and government from Arkansas State University.
Shawnta Friday-Stroud was named interim vice president of university advancement. Since 2010, she has been serving as dean of the School of Business and Industry at the university.
Dr. Friday-Stroud holds a bachelor’s degree and an MBA from Florida A&M University. She earned a doctoral degree in business administration from Florida International University in Miami.
