March 1, 2022
28 Days of UofSC Black History
In honor of Black History Month, the Black Alumni Council highlighted 28 Black alumni making a difference in their communities
Joyce Bell Winkler
B.S. Nursing, 1975
Joyce Bell Winkler is a retired Registered Nurse with more than 40 years in the health care industry.
Myron Terry
B.A. International Studies, 1986
Myron Terry is the senior director of political outreach at Pfizer, where he leads all internal U.S. colleague public policy education and engagement, as well as Pfizer’s government relations outreach and advocacy efforts in NYC.
Scott Harriford
B.S. Hospitality Management, 2016
Scott Harriford is the White House liaison for the Small Business Administration and worked on the Biden Campaign as the South Carolina Political Director and on the Biden-Harris Campaign as Southeastern Political Director.
Adrian Grimes
B.A. Broadcast Journalism, 1988
Adrian Grimes is the Director of Marketing and Communications for the South Carolina Research Authority. She opened her own PR firm R.M. Grimes Marketing and Communications in the early 2000s, in which she led communications for several political campaigns at the national, state and local levels.
Derek Hill
B.S. Accounting, 1988
Derek Hill is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Pepsi Bottling Ventures. He has been with the company since its formation in 1999.
Devetta Hughes
B.S. Management, 1986
Devetta Hughes is the Associate Vice President for Human Resources at Trident Technical College.
Tamiko Fletcher
B.S. Computer Engineering, 2002
Tamiko Fletcher is the first Black Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), Chief of the IT Security Office at the John F. Kennedy Space Center.
LaJoia Broughton
Master of Mass Communications, 2005
LaJoia Broughton serves as the Government Relations Advisor at Adams and Reese, LLP, and as commissioner of the Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE).
Frank Williams, a.k.a. “Shuler King”
B.A. Media Arts, 2007
Frank Williams achieved fame and success as Comedian Shuler King in 2018, touring nationally and internationally performing comedy to sold out audiences across the world. Whenever he is not on tour, he works with his family in Sumter S.C., at Williams Funeral Home Inc.
Robert Dozier, Jr.
B.A. Political Science, 1987
Robert Dozier, Jr. is the President, Chief Executive Officer and owner of RWD Consulting, LLC, with nearly 30 years of experience in working with federal, state, and local governments and commercial entities.
Jared Donaldson
B.S. Economics, 2012
Jared Donaldson currently serves as Captain in the South Carolina National Guard. In 2020, Jared was awarded the Army Meritorious Service Medal, presented to members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguished themselves by outstanding meritorious achievement or service to the United States.
Gwendolyn Brown
B.S. Pharmacy, 1978
Dr. Gwendolyn Brown is the Dental Director for the Coastal Center, a residential special needs center. She was the First African American to work for Revco Pharmacy (which is now CVS Pharmacy), and the fourth African American to graduate from MUSC’s College of Dental Medicine.
Tjuan Dogan
B.S. Advertising, 1991; M.Ed. 1998; Ph.D. 2002
Dr. Tjuan Dogan serves as Global Director of Social Impact at Coursera, one of the world’s leading online learning platforms with a mission to provide universal access to world-class education. Prior to Coursera, she was the inaugural AVP of Social Impact at Emory University.
Hope Rivers
B.A. English, 1994; M.Ed. ,1996; Ph.D., 2010
Dr. Hope Rivers assumed the presidency at Piedmont Technical College in Greenwood, South Carolina, in January 2021. She is the first woman and person of color to serve as president of the technical college. She was also the 2021 recipient of the UofSC Alumni Association’s Outstanding Black Alumni award.
Taylor Wright
B.S. Public Health, 2019
Taylor Wright currently serves in the Biden-Harris Administration as Special Assistant to the Administrator of the US Small Business Administration.
Donald Wilson II
B.S. Retailing, 2010
Donald Wilson II is an educator and published illustrator, having illustrated six children’s books to date. He has illustrated his Don’s Doodles cartoons and comics for Target’s corporate office as a part of their marketing campaign.
Diana Lynch
B.S. Accounting, 1990; J.D., 1993
Diana Lynch founded Literacy to Legacy in 2005 and serves as the current Executive Director. She is a former Federal Law Clerk and Justice Advocate General in the United States Navy.
Shanice Joyner
B.S. Chemistry, 2016
Shanice Joyner owns West Main & Co, a small natural hair care company where products are formulated and created by her.
Jordan Crafton
B.S. Hospitality Management, 2009
Jordan Crafton is an award winning filmmaker and founder of JDC Films. He’s also a producer on the Nick Cannon daytime talk show on FOX and a Director of Photography for NCredible.
Tony Franklin
B.S. Electrical Engineering, 1991; MBA, 1997
Donald “Tony” Franklin II is a General Manager at the Intel Corporation within the Internet of Things Group.
Florence Franklin
B.S. Business Administration, 1989
Florence Franklin is a Senior Vice President with Wells Fargo Bank N.A. and the Head of Compliance Strategy, Client Services and Solutions.
Marvin Pendarvis
B.A. Political Science, 2011; J.D., 2014
Marvin Pendarvis is a member of South Carolina House of Representatives, representing North Charleston in District 113.
Jennifer Clyburn Reed
B.A. Political Science, 1991; MAT, 1992; Ed.S., 1998
Nominated by President Biden and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2021, Jennifer Clyburn Reed is the first, Federal Co-Chair of the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission, a federal-state partnership focused on spurring economic development in persistent poverty counties in seven southeastern states – AL, FL, GA, MS, NC, SC, VA.
Kevin Simmons
B.A. Marketing and Management, 2000
Kevin currently serves as the Assistant Vice President of Retail Banking & Small Business at First National Bank of Pennsylvania and has over 15 years of experience in the Financial Industry.
April Lewis
B.A. Journalism and Mass Communications, 2016
April Lewis is a U.S. Army combat veteran who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. She is now the CEO & Founder of the A. Lewis Academy, Inc., a coaching and consulting firm that partners with leaders to create healthy, high-performing organizations.
Russell Brown
B.A. International Studies, 1985
Russell Brown is an attorney in Columbia, South Carolina. He served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps on active-duty from 1986 to 1989—and two-years in the United States Marine Corps Reserve from 1990 to 1992.
Harry Singleton
B.S. Statistics, 1988
Dr. Harry Singleton is a systematic theologian in the black liberation tradition and has written extensively in the field of theology, including four books.
Brian Gaines
B.A. Political Science; MPA, 2006
Brian Gaines is an experienced public administrator with a demonstrated history of working in the government administration industry for over 15 year. He currently serves as the State Budget Director for the State of South Carolina.
Know a Gamecock making a difference in their community? Nominate them for the Outstanding Black Alumni award or one of our other five awards by April 1.
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