On this episode of the RAISE Podcast, we get to know Floyd Akins, Vice President for University Advancement at the University of Toledo. Floyd walks us through his early days driving an accordion bus on the Chicago Transit Authority, how a free Pepsi on a snowy Chicago evening connected Floyd with a lifelong mentor, how to build trusting relationships with campus partners, and why being a VP of advancement can be incredibly rewarding, but it’s not necessarily for everyone.

Floyd also shares with Brent about his experience walking into a CASE conference in the ‘90s and seeing no other person in the room who looked like him. He decided he could either complain about the shocking lack of diversity in advancement, or do something to change it.

Recently, Floyd and a number of leaders of color in advancement formed the Black Leaders in Philanthropy Initiative to ensure that future generations of Black advancement folks are represented, supported, and empowered in their fundraising careers. BLIP has created an 11-step Equity in Hiring commitment that any institution can access to ensure we are all taking actionable steps towards Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging in our sector: https://www.blacksinphilanthropy.com/bip-equity-pledge

After Floyd graduated college, he didn’t think we’d still have students who were first-generation college students. But, as he acknowledges, we still do, and there’s still much work to be done.

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