Speaker Impact Page
Organizations
United Negro College Fund
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
A Message to Students
Young scholars, at the moment of your birth, you were an exquisite gift to your parents. As your parents and family marveled at you, they imagined, wished, and prayed for the very best this world had to offer. They also understood that life can be challenging, but they were prepared to love, nurture, and support you so that you might become all that you were created to be.
And, while you were a gift to your parents, you each came into this world with your own special gift. This gift is uniquely yours and no one can ever take it from you. This is the gift of your mind and all its wonderful possibilities. But this gift has requirements that, if met, will open endless potential for your success in building the life you imagine and want for yourselves.
This gift, your mind, must be developed, cultivated, protected, nurtured, respected, and guarded. In doing so, you must seek those persons, places and experiences which challenge your mind and allow it to grow into your most precious and powerful possession.
This is your time and with the gift of a disciplined mind, your future is yours to determine. You are only limited by your imagination. Go forth and be great!
— Dr. Elfred Anthony Pinkard
Related Pages
About
Dr. Elfred Anthony Pinkard
A Lifetime Dedicated to Expanding Opportunity
For more than four decades, Dr. Elfred Anthony Pinkard has devoted his career to expanding educational opportunity, strengthening institutions, and developing future generations of leaders. Recognized nationally for his leadership in higher education, Dr. Pinkard has served in some of the country's most influential academic and nonprofit leadership roles, helping students, colleges, and communities thrive.
Today, he serves as President-in-Residence at UNCF, where he continues to advance student success and institutional excellence while supporting the next generation of higher education leaders. His work reflects a lifelong commitment to ensuring that education remains one of the most powerful pathways to opportunity and transformation.
Professional Highlights
- President-in-Residence, UNCF
- Former President, Wilberforce University
- Former Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
- Founding Executive Director, UNCF Institute for Capacity Building
- More than 40 years of leadership in higher education
- President-In-Residence, Council of Independent Colleges
- Presidential Fellow, Center for the Study of HBCUs at Virginia Union University
- Co-Founder, Higher Education Leadership Foundation, Inc. (heleaders.org)
- Co-Author, The HBCU Blueprint: A Strategic Guide to HBCUs Transforming and Thriving
- National advocate for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
- Recognized leader in student success, institutional transformation, and higher education leadership
- Champion for educational access, equity, and opportunity
- Dedicated mentor committed to developing the next generation of leaders
- Graduate of Morehouse College, Howard University, and Harvard University