The White House has reportedly selected Johnathan Holifield to be the next executive director of the White House Initiative on HBCUs.
The choice is viewed as odd by some HBCU experts who wonder what—if any—experience the former NFL player has to prepare him for this appointment.
“I don’t think the Trump administration understands or cares about HBCUs,” said Dr. Marybeth Gasman, the Judy & Howard Berkowitz Professor of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. “I don’t understand the rationale for appointing Johnathan Holifield. He seems to be committed to his work and vision, but that has little to do with HBCUs.”
However, Dr. Leonard Haynes, who served as executive director of the White House Initiative on HBCUs during the tail-end of the George W. Bush administration and the beginning of the Barack Obama administration, applauded the news of the appointment of Holifield and downplayed any concerns about his purported lack of experience with HBCUs.
“So what? He’s not the first one,” Haynes said, noting that former executive director Margaret Seagears also did not have prior administrative experience at an HBCU. “You don’t have to have that [prior experience at HBCUs] to be effective. That’s not a mandatory requirement.”
Haynes praised Holifield for other attributes and accomplishments, including the fact that he has a law degree.
“He’s got the energy level, which we need, and he’s willing to work in the gray areas,” Haynes said. “As a lawyer he understands rules and regulations. That’s very important in working with federal agencies.”
