Thurgood Marshall College Fund Announces Jim Clifton, Chair of the Advisory Committee of the Dr. N. Joyce Payne Center for Social Justice
WASHINGTON, DC (June 22, 2022)
The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) named Jim Clifton, Immediate Past CEO and Chairman of GALLUP, Inc., as Chair of the Dr. N. Joyce Payne Center of Social Justice’s (CSJ) Advisory Committee, announced TMCF President and CEO Harry L. Williams. Clifton succeeds Rep. Alma Adams, who served as the Committee’s inaugural chair.
“As chair of the advisory committee, “Jim’s wealth of experience and resources will make an enormous difference in driving the issues of social justice to the highest levels of government and industry,” said Williams.
Clifton, who also served as Chair of TMCF’s Board of Directors for 15 years (2003-2018), led GALLUP, Inc as its CEO from 1988 until 2022. Under his leadership, GALLUP expanded from a predominantly U.S.-based company to a worldwide organization with 30 offices in 20 countries and regions. In addition, he is the creator of The Gallup Path, a metric-based economic model used by over 500 companies worldwide that establishes the linkages between human nature in the workplace, customer engagement, and business outcomes.
Clifton also launched GALLUP’s Center for Black Voices, leveraging decades of existing research to give a fuller picture of the experiences and perspectives of more than 40 million Black Americans. In addition, the Center establishes key measures to track and report progress on life outcomes, access to opportunity, and well-being.
“It has always been an honor to serve TMCF, whether at a board meeting or now as Chair of the CSJ Advisory Committee. It is a responsibility I take very seriously”, Clifton said. “For nearly 35 years, TMCF has addressed the most pressing needs of students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in a world of nearly insurmountable challenges. We must find better ways to engage our 47 public HBCUs in producing research to create positive change into the next century and beyond.”
Social injustice is deeply embedded in policies and practices at every level of government and industry. It costs lives and diminishes educational and economic opportunities for millions of African Americans and marginalized populations. For over 150 years, HBCUs have been at the forefront in transforming the quality of life in Black communities. HBCUs is an ideal ecosystem for research scholars and thought leaders in creating social justice models for the global world of today.
“We are pleased to welcome Jim to lead the Payne Center’s Advisory Committee”, said Dr. N. Joyce Payne, Founder of TMCF and CSJ. “Jim’s powerful voice and extraordinary leadership will be invaluable in dissecting the consequential values of social justice from a universal perspective.