On June 6, 2024, HBCU Campaign Fund‘s (HCF) Founder, President, and CEO Demetrius Johnson, Jr., announced the selection of Bishop State Community College President Olivier Charles as an honoree of the eighth class of The Ten Most Dominant HBCU Leaders of 2025. President Charles will join Clark Atlanta University’s HBCU Executive Leadership Institute Director Dr. Phyllis Worthy Dawkins, Lawson State Community College President Dr. Cynthia Anthony, and seven other recipients to comprise the eighth class who will be inducted into the prestigious national recognition for 2025.
“I have had the pleasure of observing President Charles’s leadership since taking the helm at Bishop State in 2022, and his leadership is impressive and innovative. Under his leadership, he has transformed Bishop State Community College into not just the premier Historically Black Community College (HBCC) but a community college that is accessible to opportunities for all, providing a substantial economic impact to the City of Mobile and surrounding areas. I commend the work that has been done under his leadership and the outstanding members who stand with him in his administration. It’s with esteemed privilege that we honor President Charles’s leadership and name him as an honoree of the eighth class of The Ten Most Dominant HBCU Leaders of 2025,” said Demetrius Johnson Jr., HCF Founder, President, and CEO.
The Ten Most Dominant HBCU Leaders Award & Class is a national recognition created by the HBCU Campaign Fund that identifies ten chancellors and presidents, and as of 2024, sports-affiliated individuals serving in the role at an HBCU, MSI, or affiliated with who exemplify a prominent and influential role in leadership and model the characteristics of following responsibilities in the progression of an institution or entity forward.
Serving in higher education leadership for over a decade, Olivier Charles has served as president of Bishop State Community College since August 1, 2022. He previously served as Alabama Community College System’s (ACCS) Vice Chancellor for Student Success. Prior to serving as Vice Chancellor for Student Success, Charles served as Dean of Students at Enterprise State Community College. He began first as Director of Admissions and Enrollment Management at the University of West Alabama and as Director of Admissions and Recruitment at Auburn University at Montgomery.
In two years under President Charles, Bishop State Community College reported a 20% surge in enrollment from fall 2022 of 2,968 students to 3,569 students in fall 2023. The college was named the 2023 Innovator of the Year by the Mobile Chamber’s Economic Development Department. Over the year 2023, Bishop State became an innovator in the areas of aviation and advanced manufacturing. Through its Aviation Manufacturing Program, Flight Path 9, Bishop State has provided more than 2,100 industry-recognized credentials to participating students and supplied Airbus with more than 120 employees.
Bishop State Community College signed partnership agreements with Miles College and Columbia Southern University. The college’s agreement with Columbia Southern University will secure educational discounts and create opportunities for students in career and technical fields to pursue bachelor’s degrees. The agreement provides ease of credit transfer from Bishop State and CSU for completion of a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, occupational safety and health, emergency medical services administration or business administration. The partnership agreement with Miles College collaboratives a transfer process for Bishop State graduates who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree.
The College celebrated the opening of two new academic buildings: its Center for Nursing and Health Science and its innovative Gene Haas Center for Advance Manufacturing Technology. Also, the College recently announced its latest development plan to provide student housing, which will sit directly across from the campus. The Thurgood Marshall College Fund established the College as an institutional member, and The First Bank donated $75,000 for scholarship and program support.
The honorees will be fully announced as The Ten Most Dominant HBCU Leaders of 2025 and Eighth Class in early 2025.
About the HBCU Campaign Fund
The HBCU Campaign Fund (HCF) was founded in 2012 and is one of the nation’s minority educational organizations. HCF remains a strong advocate for students and higher education. The mission of HCF is to support the significance and raise funds for scholarships, programs, and for private and public HBCUs and MSIs. For more information, visit www.hbcucampaignfund.org.
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