The HBCU Executive Leadership Institute (ELI) at Clark Atlanta University in Georgia recently introduced its 2024 cohort of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) fellows, among them Dr. Camonia Graham-Tutt, interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of Hawai‘i–West O‘ahu.
Graham-Tutt is one of 38 individuals nationwide selected to be part of the HBCU ELI 2024 Community of Fellows, an assembly of individuals poised to emerge as the next generation of HBCU leaders.
“It is an incredible honor to have been selected as a participant in the HBCU ELI Community of Fellows,” Graham-Tutt said. “I have a great deal of gratitude for this space and time in my life — a time to learn and grow and to maintain the value of po‘okela (excellence) everywhere I go. I am truly grateful to the UH West O‘ahu campus, the University of Hawai‘i System, Howard University (Graham-Tutt’s alma mater), and to all who have contributed and will contribute to my professional growth and development.”
Clark Atlanta University (CAU), the first institution to award graduate degrees to African Americans, serves as the home of ELI, according to a press release by CAU. The groundbreaking initiative acknowledges the critical urgency to attract, employ, and retain a fresh wave of leaders within the HBCU community. The ELI program, which runs through June, is committed to nurturing leadership and excellence.
The press release continued, ELI’s emphasis on practical skills, combined with a focus on the unique challenges and opportunities within the HBCU landscape, ensures that participants are prepared to lead in excellence in this evolving environment.
“Over the next several months, we will embark on a transformative journey with our new cohort of HBCU fellows,” Dr. Phyllis Worthy Dawkins, Executive Director of the HBCU Executive Leadership Institute and a driving force behind ELI’s mission, said in the release. “These individuals represent the future of leadership in the HBCU community, and we’re excited to welcome them to a rigorous curriculum designed to equip them with the skills and knowledge necessary to become legacy leaders at their respective institutions.”