TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida A&M University (FAMU) announced today that Everett Ward, Ph.D., president of St. Augustine’s University and general president of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., will be its Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Convocation speaker on January 10, 2019 at 10:10 a.m., in Gaither Gymnasium on FAMU’s campus. The event is open to the public.
King was also a member of Alpha Phi Alpha. Ward incorporated King’s urgent call for action on civil rights in his Alpha Phi Alpha national theme, “Urgency of Now,” and actively advocates on behalf of causes affecting the African-American community, specifically men of color. As president of St. Augustine’s and an alumnus of the Raleigh, N.C. university, Ward has championed academic excellence and encouraged innovation in scholarship and teaching.
Ward serves on several national, regional and statewide boards to advance opportunities for citizens throughout the nation. He is a former member of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) where he served as vice chairman of the DNC Black Caucus. In 1989, Ward made history by becoming the first African-American to serve as executive director of the North Carolina Democratic Party.
In addition, Ward served as the director of the Historically Black Colleges and University/Minority Institutions of Higher Education Program for the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
Prior to his election as general president of Alpha Phi Alpha, Ward was appointed to lead the committee responsible for developing the fraternity’s strategic vision into the next century. In every role, Ward has been instrumental and committed to moving the fraternity forward.
He earned a master’s degree from North Carolina State University and his doctoral degree, from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.
