Florida A&M University President Marva Johnson has appointed Marcus H. Burgess as the new senior vice president of Enterprise Partnerships & Innovation, effective September 29. In this position, Burgess will be responsible for developing and managing strategies to expand the university’s partnerships with public and private entities, focusing on innovation and aligning these efforts with the institution’s priorities.
“Dr. Marcus Burgess is a seasoned leader in higher education with more than two decades of experience in institutional advancement, strategic fundraising, and administration,” said President Johnson. “His expertise will assist us as we coordinate our internal efforts to expand FAMU’s corporate, philanthropic, governmental, and higher education collaborations.”
Burgess will advise the president and other senior leaders on partnership development, funding opportunities, and ways to enhance the university’s profile through collaborative efforts. His work aims to support performance improvements and foster innovation at Florida A&M University.
“I am deeply honored to join President Johnson and the FAMU community in this important role,” said Burgess. “Florida A&M University has a storied legacy of excellence and impact, and I look forward to building transformative partnerships that expand opportunity, drive innovation, and strengthen the University’s position as a national leader in higher education.”
Before joining Florida A&M University, Burgess served as interim president at Saint Augustine’s University in Raleigh, North Carolina. During his tenure there, he led financial recovery initiatives that improved national rankings and secured reinstatement of accreditation. The university also achieved a 96% faculty retention rate and an 18% increase in graduates under his leadership.
Previously, Burgess was vice president for Institutional Advancement at Claflin University where he managed fundraising campaigns resulting in over $18 million in private funding. He contributed to a $25 million increase in endowment funds for Claflin University and helped establish it as the first official Zoom Video Communications Partner School among historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Alumni giving rates reached 40%, which was noted as the highest among HBCUs during his time there.
Burgess has also held advancement roles at Florida Memorial University, Voorhees College, and York Technical College. Throughout his career he has raised more than $124 million for higher education institutions including securing significant gifts such as an $18.5 million HBCU Capital Finance loan for one institution and a single donation of $3.4 million—the largest ever received by Florida Memorial University.
He holds academic credentials from Vanderbilt University (Doctor of Education), The Citadel (Master of Arts in education administration), and Claflin University (Bachelor of Science in elementary education).
Burgess is recognized for his contributions to philanthropy leadership programs; he has served on several boards including CASE District III and Delta Rho Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., authoring publications like “Getting the Job Done,” which examines resources available to institutional advancement offices at HBCUs.
