Trustee Directory
Chair Kelvin Lawson is a national client service director with Acosta Sales and Marketing. In this role, he provides cross-functional leadership, direction and strategic planning to select clients to ensure maximum business results. He has managed the corporate relationships with large multinational organizations such as Kraft Foods, Starbucks and Diamond Foods. Prior to joining Acosta, he spent 17 years at Johnson and Johnson. During his tenure at Johnson and Johnson, he held positions of increasing responsibility including director of customer development and director of national accounts dealing with large retailers such as Wal-Mart, Costco, and Lenscrafters. Lawson is an active member of the Jacksonville (Fla.) community and serves on the board of a local non-profit as vice president of fundraising. Recently, he was appointed to the board of the Hubbard House of Jacksonville, Fla. He is a Florida A&M University graduate of the School of Business and Industry. He resides in Jacksonville, Fla.
Email: kelvin.lawson@famu.edu
Vice Chair Kimberly Moore has spent over a decade in the workforce development arena. She currently serves as the Vice President for Workforce Innovation at Tallahassee Community College (TCC). In the position of Vice President, she is responsible for developing strategic solutions that address the needs of employers and those seeking to enter and transition in the workforce. Prior to joining TCC, she served as the Chief Executive Officer of WORKFORCE PLUS, a recognized regional workforce development board, becoming the youngest person, the first African-American and the first woman to hold this top position. Ms. Moore is a 1993 graduate of Tallahassee Community College with an Associate of Arts degree. She continued her education at Florida State University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice in 1995. In May 2006, she earned her M.B.A from Webster University.
Term: January 7, 2018 - January 6, 2023
Professor Ann Marie Cavazos, is the president of the FAMU Faculty Senate and a Professor of Law. Joining the
faculty team in 2005, under her visionary leadership the Clinical Program ranked 7th
nationally for “Best in Practical Training.” She is committed to service, scholarship,
and teaching. Cavazos serves as President of the FAMU Faculty Senate and teaches Florida
Constitutional Law, Evidence, Professional Responsibility, Prosecution Clinic, Transactional
Law, and Florida Practice. To support the endeavor of pedagogy reform for the 21st
Century legal education she spearheaded, co-wrote and published two books that can
immediately equip law students with practical legal skills in the classroom, namely,
“Florida Family Law and Tort Law Practice and Skills Workbooks. Prior to joining the
faculty, she was pro bono manager at Greater Orlando Area Legal Services and Director
of the Alianza for Fair Housing Program of Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida.
She also worked as a staff attorney with the Brooklyn Legal Aid Society and was appointed
to the bench as a referee in the Brooklyn and Bronx Family Court. She holds a J.D.
from Temple University School of Law and a B.S. from John Jay College of Criminal
Justice.
Email: ann.cavazos@famu.edu
Term: August 2021 - August 2023
Otis Cliatt, II, is president of Pacific Harbor Line, Inc. and is believed to be the first African
American to lead a North American railroad. With more than 20 years of experience
in the railroad industry, his expansive career includes prior senior leadership positions
at Union Pacific Railroad, CANAC, Inc., an industrial rail switching company, and
Cliatt Consulting, a rail management company. Trustee Cliatt is a combat veteran
and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for actions in Desert Storm. He was also an
eight-year member of the U.S. Army’s elite Special Operations Command Airborne at
Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He proudly served in the 112th Signal Battalion Airborne
Special Forces Command while on active duty and in the 20th Special Forces Group Airborne
while in the Florida National Guard.
Trustee Cliatt earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Economics from Florida A&M
University and graduated from the UCLA Anderson School of Management Executive Program.
In 2019 he was honored as a Distinguished Alumnus by the Florida A&M University National
Alumni Association. He is a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., having
served on the Board of Directors for the Houston, Texas and Irvine-Anaheim, California
Alumni Chapters, respectively.
Email: otis.cliatt@famu.edu
Term: December 11, 2020 - January 6, 2025
Thomas W. Dortch, Jr. is chairman and chief executive officer of TWD, Inc. In 1990, he became the state director and served as chief administrator for United States Senator Sam Nunn. Mr. Dortch was the first African American to serve in this capacity. Some of Mr. Dortch's other accomplishments include serving as chief executive officer of Atlanta Transportation Systems, Inc.; chairman and CEO of Cornerstone Parking; chairman of Lancor Parking Management, LLC; and managing partner of FAD Consulting, LLC. He also established the National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame Foundation, Inc., and co-founded the Georgia Association of Minority Entrepreneurs (GAME). Mr. Dortch earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology and Pre- Professional Social Work from Fort Valley State University in 1972, and a Master of Art Degree in Criminal Justice Administration from Clark-Atlanta University in 1986. He also attended Georgia State University as a Ford Fellow in the Urban Administration Program. Dortch received honorary doctor degrees from Fayetteville State University, Jarvis Christian College, Fort Valley State University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, and Livingstone College.
Email: thomas.dortch@famu.edu
Term: January 7, 2021 - January 6, 2026
Michael Dubose is president of Fisher Healthcare a Division of Thermo Fisher Scientific, a global healthcare business which has achieved revenues of over 25 billion dollars in over 50 plus countries around the world In his 35 year career, Trustee Dubose has served as Vice President of International and Cross Border Sales for W.W. Grainger Industrial Supply, and Vice President for Staples. He has also held senior leadership positions at Corporate Express, Alliant Foodservice & Baxter Travenol, where he served as Division President, Vice President and Group Vice President. Trustee Dubose has received numerous business achievement and community awards. Most recently, he received the Elder Watson Diggs Award for career achievement and national impact in the community. It is the second highest award from the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc of which he has been an active member for over 45 years. Trustee Dubose is also active in his community and serves on the Executive Board for the Southern Region Boy Scouts of America, an Executive Board Member for the Greater Atlanta Council for the Boy Scouts of America, and Board Member of Healthcare Industry Distribution Association. Trustee Dubose earned his degrees in Music and a minor in Business Administration from Florida A & M University.
Email: michael.dubose@famu.edu
Term: December 11, 2020 - January 6, 2023
Kristin Harper is founder and CEO of Driven to Succeed, LLC, which provides market research, brand
strategy consulting, keynotes and training on leadership and emotional intelligence
for Fortune 500 companies and rising leaders.
An award-winning businesswoman, Kristin went from college intern to Global VP of a
Fortune 15 company in her 30s. A classically trained marketer who built her career
at Procter & Gamble, The Hershey Company and Cardinal Health, she’s led global iconic
brands including Crest®, Oral-B®, and Hershey’s KISSES®.
Author of The Heart of a Leader: 52 Emotional Intelligence Insights to Advance Your
Career, Kristin is deeply committed to developing people and giving back to her community.
She is an active lifetime member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., minister at
her church, and Co-Founder/Board President of Pacesetters Unlimited, Inc., which provides mentoring and scholarships to African-American youth. Kristin received
her Bachelor's and MBA degrees from Florida A&M University, and executive education
from Harvard University. During college, she was elected the first female Student
Government President in nearly a decade, and now serves as an appointed member on
the FAMU Board of Trustees. She and her husband are the proud parents of three children.
Email: Kristin@DriventoSucceedLLC.com
Term: January 7, 2021 - January 6, 2026
Belvin Perry, Jr., is currently a personal injury attorney with the law firm of Morgan & Morgan. Prior to joining the Morgan Law Firm he was the Chief Judge of 9th Judicial Circuit for nearly eighteen years and a circuit judge for nearly twenty-four years before retiring in August of 2014. He has also served as President of the National Conference of Metropolitan Courts and the first African-American Chair of the Florida Conference of Circuit Judges. He served as Chair of the Trial Court Budget Commission for four years and Chair of the Florida Innocence Commission. In 2009 he was selected as the FLABOTA Jurist of the Year by the Florida Chapters of the American Board of Trial Advocates. He is a member of 100 Black Men of Orlando. Mr. Perry received his B. S. and M. Ed. from Tuskegee University and Juris Doctor from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University. He is also member of Florida Bar and Texas Bar. Mr. Perry has received numerous awards and honors such as 2014 Historical Society of Central Florida - John Young History Maker, YMCA of Central Florida & South West Orlando Jaycees 2014 Arthur "Pappy" Kennedy Lifetime Achievement Award and 2012 Judge William M. Hoeveler Judicial Award for Professionalism by the Florida Bar. Mr. Perry resides in Orlando, Florida.
Email: belvin.perry@famu.edu
Term: March 24, 2016 - January 6, 2021
Craig Reed is the Chief Procurement Officer and Head of Corporate Real Estate for Corteva Agriscience.
In these roles, he has the unique responsibility to lead the strategy of a procurement
division and real estate for a Fortune 200 company that was global on day one.
Corteva was born on June 1, 2019, resulting from the DowDuPont merger and subsequent
split into three independent companies. Corteva provides farmers around the world
with the most complete portfolio in the industry, including a balanced and diverse
mix of seed, crop protection and digital solutions focused on maximizing productivity
to enhance yield and profitability.
Reed oversees a global procurement team of ~450 professionals, responsible for more
than $8 billion in global spend for goods and services, which include raw materials,
energy, packaging, contract manufacturing, IT, Corporate Services, MRO, Capital, and
Logistics. His team leverages Corteva’s global scale and footprint to ensure the highest
return possible on every dollar spent and create customized solutions tailored to
the business’ needs.
Reed also oversees the global Facilities Services & Real Estate (FS&RE) organization
of ~110 professionals. FS&RE provides Corteva best-in-class facility solutions and
services that create safe and productive work environments across our portfolio of
400 sites. FS&RE’s team is aligned with procurement to enable collaboration on opportunities
for cost competitiveness, work process optimization, and capabilities in serving our
employees across the company.
A proven leader in the supply chain and sourcing arena, Reed has more than 25 years
of global experience in multinational corporations, including DowDuPont, DuPont, Eaton,
Delta Air Lines, Deere & Company, BMW Manufacturing, and Honda of America.
Leveraging his experience and vision, he has structured Corteva’s global procurement
department into five spend towers and four regions with a matrix design where regional
leaders influence and then execute the global strategy. Reed’s strategy includes a
strong operating model, diligent governance and expert category management, with support
from an agile supplier center and an increasing focus on supplier diversity and sustainability.
In the United States, Reed is the Immediate Past Board Chair for the Institute for
Supply Management (ISM). He is a member of the Board of Trustees for Florida A&M University.
He is also a member of the Board of Directors for the National Minority Supplier Development
Council (NMSDC).
Globally, Craig is a voting member of the organization Together for Sustainability
(TfS). He is also a member of the Board of Directors for the South Africa Supplier
Development Council (SASDC).
Craig holds a BS in Economics from Florida A&M University and an MBA with a concentration
in Supply Management from Arizona State University. He lives in the United States
with his wife and their two children.
Email: craig.reed@famu.edu
Term: January 7, 2021 - January 6, 2026
Kenward Stone is co-chief executive officer of Broughton Pharmaceuticals. He is also co-founder
and managing partner of SL Group Investors, where he raised capital to acquire a business
with enterprise value greater than $10 million. Trustee Stone's experience in the
financial sector includes serving as chief operating officer for Stone Financial Retirement
Planning, associate and analyst for Barclays Bank PLC, and analyst for CITIGROUP.
Trustee Stone graduated from the Florida A&M University School of Business & Industry
(SBI) with a Bachelor’s degree in business administration in 2009. He later completed
an MBA at Harvard University. Trustee Stone serves as a motivational speaker and mentor
to junior investment bankers, MBA candidates, and entrepreneurs.
Email: kenward.stone@famu.edu
Term: October 27, 2020 - January 6, 2025
Nicole Washington, Principal, Washington Education Strategies is a national education policy advisor, based in Miami Beach, focused on integrating work and education to build a stronger talent pipeline in Florida and improving postsecondary education opportunities for all students. She served as the Vice-chair for the Education Subcommittee of the 2017-18 Constitution Revision Commission, sponsoring a successful Amendment 7 that increases college access and affordability for Florida's students.
Nicole provides advocacy and strategic policy support for national and state higher education organizations including Lumina Foundation and Florida College Access Network. She works with state and local organizations to create a more focused, comprehensive education policy and advocacy environment. Nicole has been committed to improving higher education in Florida for many years, serving in roles including the University of South Florida Consolidation Taskforce and Associate Director of Governmental Relations for the State University System Board of Governors. Nicole earned her B.A. from Princeton University and M.A. from Teachers College, Columbia University.
Email: nicole@wesgroup.com
Term: January 6, 2020 - January 6, 2025
Carrington McKenzie Whigham is a Broadcast Journalism major and Theater minor from the city where things are indeed “bigger and better”, Dallas, Texas. Carrington humbly served as the SGA Vice President and now serves as the Student Government Association President. She is a third-generation Rattler and the daughter of Centennial SGA president, Andrew Whigham III, and Dr. Deardra Hayes- Whigham. Carrington is also a proud member of the Original Beta Alpha Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Carrington is most looking forward to serving the student body to ensure an amazing academic year. She is a firm believer in James 2:14, “Faith without works is dead”. This verse fuels Carrington with the mindset to successfully be a dedicated servant, friend, and leader.
Email: carrington1.whigham@famu.edu
Term: May 2021 - May 2022