EPISODE · Aug 5, 2022 · 1H
123: Floyd Akins, University of Toledo
from RAISE Podcast
Floyd Akins joined The University of Toledo in February 2022 as a fundraiser with 25 years of experience in higher education advancement, public relations and admissions ready to move UToledo forward through philanthropy and increased engagement of alumni and friends.Akins came to UToledo from Michigan State University, where he served as associate vice president for advancement, overseeing constituent fundraising, individual giving and prospect development and corporate and foundation engagement. Prior to that, Akins served as a senior consultant for the Aspen Leadership Group where he executed non-profit executive search and counsel in advancement and fundraising strategies.In his career Akins also has served as assistant vice chancellor for development for the University of Tennessee Foundation, senior associate vice president for constituent fundraising for Ohio State University and vice president of the Ohio State University Foundation, and executive director of development for the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business. He also held several positions at Grinnell College.Akins earned a master of arts degree from the University of Iowa School of Journalism and Mass Communications and a bachelor’s degree in communications from Eastern Illinois University College of Liberal Arts.
What this episode covers
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. Floyd would like to extend a special thanks to Angelique Grant and Kim Nyoni for launching this ever-important initiative. The members of Black Leaders in Philanthropy have 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. Subscribe to more conversations like this at evertrue.com/raise-podcast.
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123: Floyd Akins, University of Toledo
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