STRATEGIC LEADER IN K-12 AND HIGHER EDUCATION
About
Dr. Anthony Graham exemplifies strategic leadership through his extensive experience driving transformative initiatives in higher education. He has spearheaded comprehensive institutional and College-level strategic planning, aligning institutional priorities with a vision for academic excellence and student success. Dr. Graham’s ability to collaboratively define goals, allocate resources effectively, and implement actionable strategies underscores his commitment to fostering innovation and achieving institutional objectives.
WSSU 2030 Unleash the Genius Strategic Plan
As Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at Winston-Salem State University, Dr. Graham spearheaded the comprehensive strategic planning process that yielded the institution's new strategic plan. The impact of this strategic plan is evident—WSSU has been recognized as the #1 four-year institution in North Carolina for economic mobility by The New York Times, the #1 HBCU for social and economic mobility by US News and World Report, and ranked #220 nationally by the US News and World Report, marking the highest national ranking for an HBCU in North Carolina; this national ranking is also one of the largest jumps among any university in the 2025 rankings as the institution moved up 40 spots and moved up 22 spots in the top public school rankings.
North Carolina A&T State University
College of Education Strategic Plan
As Associate Dean of the College of Education at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Dr. Graham spearheaded the academic unit's strategic planning process that yielded the unit's strategic plan focused on equity, access, and advocacy. When promoted to the role of Dean, Dr. Graham worked collaboratively with faculty, staff, and students in the College as well as with university senior administrators to execute the strategic plan. As a result, the College experienced significant student enrollment growth particularly in its undergraduate and master's teacher education degree programs where enrollment had declined in previous academic years; moreover, Dr. Graham and employees within the College leveraged the strategic plan's focus on equity, access, and advocacy to procure approximately $11 million in sponsored research in three years, which was the greatest infusion of extramural grant funding into the College in its history. Dr. Graham and employees within the College also leveraged the strategic plan to establish new partnerships with businesses and corporations like the Cemala Foundation, the Tom Joyner Foundation, Cone Health, and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to attract funding for student scholarships as well as paid internship and clinical experience opportunities for students.
GOVERNOR COOPER'S DEVELOPING A REPRESENTATIVE AND INCLUSIVE VISION FOR EDUCATION (DRIVE) TASK FORCE REPORT FOR K-12
As the chairperson of North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper's Developing a Representative and Inclusive Vision for Education (DRIVE) Task Force, Dr. Graham led a committee of 34 people from across the state who were charged with developing a comprehensive strategic plan focused on diversifying the K-12 teacher workforce and promoting equity in K-12 public schools. Dr. Graham led the Task Force to address five goals: (1) assess the state's progress in increasing educator diversity in K-12 public schools; (2) identify short-, mid-, and long-term strategies to increase educator diversity; (3) identify stakeholders, assets, and sources of funding that can be leveraged to recruit, retain, develop, and support more educators of color; (4) propose metrics and standards by which the Governor can evaluate the state's success in achieving its goals; (5) identify recommendations for increasing educator diversity in K-12 schools. Using this strategic plan, the state of North Carolina increased the recruitment of educators of color, increased the percent of educators of color retained within the profession, and increased the number of teacher education candidates of color who passed licensure examinations to receive an initial K-12 teaching license.