About Wiley University’s 17th President & CEO
Before he was appointed as Wiley University’s 17th President & CEO, he served as Wilberforce University's 21st president. His leadership experience has included service as a chief operating officer, senior vice president, and vice president at Livingstone College in Salisbury, North Carolina. He is also a former director of development and lecturer in the Government, Law, and International Affairs Department at Murray State University in Kentucky. These experiences have informed his educational philosophy and commitment to generating access to higher education, increasing innovation, and increasing resources to ensure the sustainability of HBCUs.
Herman J. Felton Jr., Ph.D., J.D., is the 17th President & CEO of Wiley University. President Felton began his service to Wiley University in the summer of 2018, signaling the Bold and Audacious Vision. In this short period of time, he has achieved significant accomplishments, including spearheading a campaign with College alumni and supporters that has supported the renovation and modernization of the Thomas W. Cole, Sr. Library.
He has successfully garnered support from the Marshall Economic Development Corporation to renovate KBWC, the University’s radio station, launched the Heman Sweatt Center for Social Good and Leadership, created a training space for physical education majors, and implemented the student health, counseling, and wellness unit staffed with full-time licensed practitioners. Through President Felton's leadership, the College has received over $20 million in grants and gifts, generating some of the largest gifts in the University's history. In addition to his accomplishments on Wiley’s campus, President Felton has immersed himself in the fabric of the Marshall Community, where he is a member of the Marshall Rotary Club, the Marshall Chamber of Commerce, and the Citizens Advisory Council.
President Felton earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Edward Waters College in Jacksonville, Florida. Also, he earned his Juris Doctorate from the Levin College of Law at the University of Florida and completed his graduate work at Jackson State University, where he earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Administration and Supervision.
He is co-founder of the Higher Education Leadership Foundation (H.E.L.F.), an organization ensuring that a pipeline of transformational, highly skilled, and principled leaders are identified and cultivated to meet the needs, challenges and opportunities facing the Nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities. President Felton served in the United States Marine Corps for eight years. He is married to the lovely Katherine Anne Felton and is the father of Jamal, Paige, and Herman, III (Trey).