Florida A&M University has appointed Marcus H. Burgess, Ed.D., as Senior Vice President of Enterprise Partnerships & Innovation, effective September 29. In this new role, Dr. Burgess will lead FAMU’s efforts to expand cross-sector partnerships, strengthen institutional innovation, and drive strategic alignment across the University.
“Dr. Burgess is a proven higher education leader with more than 20 years of experience in advancement, fundraising, and administration,” said FAMU President Marva Johnson, J.D. “His expertise will be invaluable as we expand FAMU’s corporate, philanthropic, government, and higher education collaborations.”
Dr. Burgess brings a distinguished record of leadership across HBCUs:
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Saint Augustine’s University – Served as interim president, leading a financial turnaround, improving national rankings, and securing accreditation reinstatement while achieving a 96% faculty retention rate and graduating the largest class in over a decade.
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Claflin University – As VP for Institutional Advancement, raised over $18M, grew the endowment by $25M, and led the university to become the first official Zoom Partner School while maintaining the highest alumni giving rate among HBCUs at 40%.
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Florida Memorial University, Voorhees College, and York Technical College – Held advancement leadership roles, securing record-breaking gifts and over $124M in total raised for higher education institutions, including an $18.5M HBCU Capital Finance loan and a $3.4M single gift—the largest in Florida Memorial’s history.
Dr. Burgess is a graduate of Claflin University (B.S.), The Citadel (M.A.), and Vanderbilt University (Ed.D.). A respected voice in philanthropy and leadership, he has contributed to national advancement discussions and authored Getting the Job Done, a capstone exploring resources for HBCU advancement offices.
“I am deeply honored to join President Johnson and the FAMU community,” said Burgess. “Together, we will build transformative partnerships that expand opportunity, fuel innovation, and elevate FAMU’s national leadership in higher education.”