Leroy Keith
Leroy Keith Jr. (b. 1939) is a businessman and educator, the eighth president of Morehouse College, its second alumni President.[1][2] Keith helped to double Morehouse's endowment from $27 million in 1987 to $60 million in 1993.[3] However he resigned from Morehouse in 1994 after a financial audit found that the fringe benefits he received from the college, including a college-owned house, could jeopardize the school’s tax status."[4][3]
Leroy Keith | |
|---|---|
| 8th President of Morehouse College | |
| In office 1987 – 1994 | |
| Preceded by | Hugh Gloster |
| Succeeded by | Walter E. Massey |
| Personal details | |
| Spouse(s) | Anita Keith |
| Alma mater | Morehouse College, Indiana University |
Keith was appointed chancellor of the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education in 1975, the first African American to hold such a position in the US.[1] He was executive vice president of the University of Massachusetts System, and associate dean of the college and assistant professor of education and urban studies at Dartmouth College.
In 1997, Keith executed a buyout of Carson Products--makers of Dark & Lovely and Magic Shave--becoming its first African American chairman and CEO. Under his management, the company quadrupled in value and became a publicly traded company.[5]
Personal life
Keith is married to Anita Keith and they have four daughters.
References
- College, Morehouse. "Leroy Keith Jr". Morehouse College. Retrieved 2020-07-30.
- Trescott, Jacqueline (1987-11-09). "THE MEN AND MYSTIQUE OF MOREHOUSE". Washington Post. Retrieved 2020-07-30.
- "Morehouse Financial Questions Reach Board Chairman". The New York Times. 1994-09-28. Retrieved 2020-07-30.
- Davis, Janel (2014-12-24). "Former Morehouse acting president sues for retirement pay". ajc. Retrieved 2020-07-30.
- Rhea, Shawn (October 1997). "Carson Gets a Makeover". Black Enterprise (28(3)). pp. 122–128. Retrieved 30 July 2020.