TM² Executive Search (TM²), the executive search firm of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF), was recently awarded a grant from Lumina Foundation (Lumina) to launch a board governance excellence initiative.
The grant will fund an 18-month initiative that will comprise of comprehensive, evidence-based governance assessments at a cohort of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), producing customized recommendations for each institution and a sector-wide brief to inform broader practice across the HBCU ecosystem.
“HBCUs have long deserved this level of targeted investment in their governance capacity,” Dr. Harry L. Williams, president & CEO of TMCF, said. “TM²’s work will generate the kind of evidence-based intelligence that empowers boards to lead with clarity and confidence. TMCF is proud to support this effort.”
HBCU leaders have historically navigated governance environments with fewer resources and less structural support than their counterparts. This initiative is designed to equip HBCU boards with the institution-specific intelligence and tools they need to create conditions where their leaders and the students they serve can thrive.
“This grant allows us to do the diagnostic work the field has long needed,” Dr. Amanda Washington Lockett, president of TM², said. “When HBCU boards have real, institution-specific data and the right support, they are positioned to make decisions that strengthen their institutions for the long term. We are grateful to Lumina Foundation for investing in that vision.”
The initiative will be led by nationally recognized HBCU governance scholars Dr. Felecia Commodore and Dr. Toya Barnes-Teamer, alongside TM²’s core leadership team. The work is made possible through the support of Lumina Foundation, whose Goal 2040 commitment to expanding credential attainment for all Americans underscores the vital role HBCU institutional strength plays in advancing equity in higher education.
