ASU alum Zachary Faison chosen to head Jacksonville college

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Albany State University alumnus and former Director of Alumni Affairs A. Zachary Faison has been appointed as the 30th president of Edward Waters College here. The decision was made unanimously by the Edward Waters College Board of Trustees.

Faison, an Atlanta native, has held positions as a higher education executive administrator, educator and an attorney. He is currently the general counsel and vice president of external affairs at Tuskegee University, where he provides principal oversight for its legislative and governmental relations functions.

EWC is Florida’s oldest independent institution and first African-American institution for higher learning. At age 37, Faison is the nation’s youngest sitting president and CEO of a historically black college or university.

Faison has served at Tuskegee, Virginia Union University, Mississippi Valley State University and Albany State University. He founded the VUU College for African-American Men. His philanthropic work at Mississippi Valley State University yielded nearly $25 million in funding for the university. Faison has taught both undergraduate and graduate levels in various academic courses, including political science, criminal justice and business administration. He was formerly an assistant district attorney in Georgia.

Faison graduated magna cum laude from ASU with a bachelor’s degree in English. At ASU, he was a presidential/foundation scholar, a graduate of the Velma Fudge Grant Honors Program, a National Merit scholar, an inductee of the Alpha Kappa Mu national honor society, and upon graduation was awarded for being the highest ranking student in the university’s department of English and Modern Languages.

He attended the University of Georgia’s School of Law, where he earned a juris doctorate. He was a member of the UGA School of Law executive moot court board and UGA law moot court intra-state team. He is a licensed member of the state bar of Georgia, the Georgia Court of Appeals, Georgia Supreme Court, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia and is certified as house counsel for Tuskegee by the state bar of Alabama.

Faison completed post-doctoral studies at Harvard University. He is noted for his extensive philanthropic work for multiple universities and foundations. From his many formally recognized accomplishments, he was named one of the “Top 50 ASU Alumni Under 50.”